The Progress Pride LGBTQ+ flag has been updated to be more inclusive and to better represent the intersex community.
The classic LGBTQ+ flag has faced several revisions including the addition of stripes to represent the LGBTQ+ POC community and trans community in recent years.
Now, a new design has surfaced acknowledging and supporting the inclusion of the intersex community. The traditional flag includes the addition of a large yellow triangle with a purple circle placed in the centre.
The term “intersex” refers to people born with sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit the medical and societal definition of “male” or “female”.
Intersex is an umbrella term for over 40 different variations in sex characteristics that intersex people can be born with. The intersex community can include various gender identities and sexual orientations, just like all populations.
Valentino Vecchietti, DIVA columnist and member of Intersex Equality Rights UK, created the latest Pride flag iteration to ensure representation of the intersex community.
“I redesigned the Pride progress flag to make it intersex inclusive for our intersex inclusion campaign this Pride season,” Vecchietti shared on Instagram.
Speaking exclusively to GAY TIMES, Vecchietti explained the importance of this updated version of the Pride flag.
“I made it as part of Intersex Equality Rights UK’s intersex visibility and inclusion campaign. My redesign brings together Morgan Carpenter’s and (Tony Briffa’s) intersex flag design from 2013, and Daniel Quasar’s Pride Progress flag design of 2018,” Vecchietti said.
“The intersex flag brings me so much joy, as it does for so many in my community, and we need to see it. It was designed in 2013 by Morgan Carpenter of Intersex Human Rights Australia (IHRA).”
Taking inspiration from Daniel Quasar’s trans-inclusive 2018 redesign and the Philadelphia Office of LGBT affairs’ flag iteration which included Black and Brown stripes to represent queer people of colour, the newly designed Pride flag is one that acknowledges the important history of Pride flags.
“My intention in creating this iteration of the flag with visible intersex inclusion is to create some much-needed intersex joy. We also hope that it will increase allyship from the LGBTQA community,” Vecchietti added.
“We really need support to gain [equal] rights and access to ethical healthcare which is centred around our needs. And we need non-consensual, non-essential, surgeries and medical interventions in childhood to end.”
As the new design of the Progress Pride flag continues to be shared and celebrated, Vecchietti hopes the new iteration can “empower” the LGBTQ+ community and allies to be more inclusive of intersex.
Intersex Equality Rights UK shared the re-designed flag with a caption acknowledging the history and importance of various Pride flags.
“For our Intersex Inclusion Campaign we’d like to share with you our new intersex inclusive Pride Progress flag.
“In 2013 Morgan Carpenter and Tony Briffa of Intersex Human Rights Australia designed the intersex flag.
“In 2017 under the leadership of American civil rights activist Amber Hikes, Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs developed the rainbow flag to incorporate black and brown stripes to include black, brown, and people of colour.
“Building on that in 2018 Daniel Quasar redesigned the flag to include trans people, creating the Pride Progress flag.”
“I think that this flag gives them an opportunity to do that, and to also begin conversations and to learn more about our community.”
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This story has been updated: The Intersex Inclusion Campaign attributed the creation of the intersex flag to both Tony Briffa and Morgan Carpenter.
Morgan Carpenter is the sole creator of the intersex flag. Although he is part of Intersex Human Rights Australia, he designed the flag independently. You can read more about this here.
Valentino Vecchietti provided a statement following the amendment: “We would like to apologise for our error in thinking that Tony Briffa shared the design credit for the intersex flag with Morgan Carpenter. This is incorrect, and Morgan Carpenter is in fact the sole creator of the intersex flag.
In addition, although Morgan Carpenter is part of Intersex Human Rights Australia, Morgan independently created this flag. We are all so grateful to Morgan Carpenter for creating this beautiful cultural symbol for our community. Thank you.”
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