We sat down with Daniel Quasar, who's redesigned the rainbow flag to help make marginalised members of the LGBTQ community feel seen
The Gay Pride flag is something that all of us are familiar with, however it’s true meaning can often get lost in translation - it’s much more than a pretty rainbow.
Obviously the flag represents equality, acceptance and, you know, gay pride, but the individual colours each have a meaning to them. Red represents life, orange healing, yellow sunlight, green nature, blue harmony/peace and purple stands for spirit and gratitude.
The flag was originally designed by artist, designer, Vietnam veteran and drag performer Gil Baker in 1978, and has remained roughly the same since.
To those who aren’t part of the LGBTQ community it might seem like the rainbow flag has all the bases covered, but not everyone agrees. One such person is American graphic designer, Daniel Quasar, who recently breathed new life into the pride flag with his more inclusive redesign.
Daniel’s flag reboot has garnered a lot of attention online and it’s easy to see why. We spoke with him about the redesign, the meaning behind it and about how progress can be made...
First off lets get a bit of background on you…
I’m currently a freelance designer living in Portland, Oregon. I've been designing forever really but I didn't start taking it seriously until about 15 years ago. I really got into design when I went to the Pacific Northwest College of Art and graduated with a degree in Communication Design. I'm not studying anymore, but really I am always learning and crafting new skills.
So why did you decide to redesign the pride flag?
I would say it was a spur of the moment kind of thing. Often when I am having a hard time getting to sleep, cause my brain moves a mile a minute at night, I sit down and create and design to help calm it all down. This particular night I had the pride flag on my mind and decided to tackle it for fun. I bounced my idea off a friend and then posted it online. Now that it has spawned such a reaction, I feel like I'd like to continue helping it live and grow.
Can you explain your design? What is the meaning behind the colours you have added, and how did you come up with the idea?
I just spent a few hours moving pieces around, seeing what worked and what didn't, but kept coming back to the current design as it just stuck with me. The main section of the flag includes the traditional six stripe LGBTQ flag as seen in its widely adopted form, so as not to take away from its original meaning. I added the trans flag and marginalised community stripes onto the hoist of the flag in an arrow shape. The arrow points to the right to show forward movement and is on the left edge to symbolise that progress still needs to be made.
The five half sized stripes represent trans individuals (light blue, light pink, white), marginalised POC communities (brown, black), as well as those living with AIDS, those no longer living, and the stigma surrounding them (black). I feel like this idea is important because I could bring something to the table when it came to the way the flag was shifting within the community.
Inclusivity seems to be a big inspiration behind your design, how do you feel marginalised people could be better represented in general?
It is true that we are all one big family under the LGBTQ banner, but sometimes parts of the family can be left out or neglected. There is a lot of violence and persecution currently being shifted onto those in our community who are people of colour and trans, and it is at an alarming level above other parts of our community.
We need to focus and help end the violence being thrust on them from hateful people. I feel like what we need to do is stop and listen to them more often and provide the assistance they are asking for to really help the cause. It really is a matter of life and death and can not be ignored anymore.
How can people who are not part of the LGBTQ community better understand the struggles of it’s marginalised members, and the struggles the community as a whole is still facing?
I think the best thing someone outside of the community can do is to come into the community and listen. You can only learn the stories of someone outside of your circles by hearing the stories. Also, a healthy dose of research could go a long way.
Seek out resources, both on the internet and in LGBTQ community centres, to really get a grasp for yourself. I feel like if more people outside the community did that, there would be a lot more compassion and understanding.
