Emoji dictionary

πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ Rainbow Flag emoji

or Pride Flag emoji [ reyn-boh flag ih-moh-jee ]

What doesΒ πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆΒ Rainbow Flag emoji mean?

The Rainbow Flag emojiΒ πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ portrays a rainbow flag, a flag with six stripes of the rainbow. This particular flag is used to represent the LGBTQ community and is used to express Pride in this community. Both the actual flag and the emoji depicting it are often referred to as the Pride Flag. The Rainbow Flag emoji πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ is used both by people who self-identify as LGBTQ as well as by their allies. While the Rainbow Flag emoji πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ is commonly used all of the time, its usage increases even more during Pride Month every year in June.

On devices that do not support the Rainbow Flag emoji πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ, it will instead appear as a sequence of its component emoji: the White Flag emoji 🏳️ followed by the Rainbow emoji 🌈.

Young queer people are redefining sexuality and attraction in their own terms, and are leading the way in how we talk about them. Read more about our expanding language of sexual and romantic orientations.

Related words

πŸ¦„ Unicorn Face emoji, 🌈 Rainbow emoji, queer, ally, πŸ‘¬ Two Men Holding Hands emoji, πŸ‘©β€β€οΈβ€πŸ’‹β€πŸ‘© Kiss Woman Woman emoji

Where does πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ Rainbow Flag emoji come from?

The Rainbow Flag emoji πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ, also popularly called Pride Flag emoji, was added to Emoji 4.0 in 2016. The emoji is a combination of the White Flag emoji 🏳️ and the Rainbow emoji 🌈. On most major platforms, the emoji depicts a flag waving in the wind that has, starting from the top, a red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet stripe. On Twitter, the flag resembles a rectangle with rounded corners. The Microsoft version of the emoji depicts the flag attached to a grey flag pole.

On June 27, 2015, Noah Slater sent an email to the Unicode Consortiumβ€”the organization that approves new emojiβ€”and requested that they officially add an emoji that depicted a rainbow flag. Slater referred to the flag as β€œa powerful and potent symbol of not only current gay rights struggles, but the history of gay rights in America” and provided evidence to the Consortium that the flag had been used to symbolize Gay Pride since the 1970s. Slater’s proposal gained wide support and the Rainbow Flag emoji πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ was officially approved in 2016.

Prior to the addition of the Rainbow Flag emoji πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ, the Rainbow emoji 🌈 was used (in terms of emoji) to symbolize Pride in reference to the flag. The Rainbow emoji 🌈 is still frequently used alongside the Rainbow Flag emoji πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ. Since its approval in 2020, the Transgender Flag emoji πŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ has also frequently been used alongside the Rainbow Flag emoji πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ when a person identifies as a member ofβ€”or supportsβ€”both communities. The Rainbow Flag emoji πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ is also often used alongside many other emoji used to represent non-cishet couples such as the Two Men Holding Hands emoji πŸ‘¬, the Kiss: Woman, Woman emoji πŸ‘©β€β€οΈβ€πŸ’‹β€πŸ‘©, and the variations of the Couple with Heart emoji πŸ’‘.

How the the rainbow flag became a symbol of LGBTQ Pride

The flag that the Rainbow Flag emoji πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ depicts was created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, who was commissioned to design the flag by famous politician and iconic gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Baker has said that designing the flag was the most important thing he ever did in his life. Baker’s original design had eight stripes, but the pink and indigo stripes were gradually removed over time.

According to Baker’s website, the eight stripes of the original design of the flag represented sex (pink), life (red), healing (orange), sunlight (yellow), nature (green), turquoise (blue), serenity (indigo), and spirit (violet). In modern times, the rainbow flag is often said to symbolize the diversity within the LGBTQ community.

Historically, rainbow flag have also been used a symbol of peace. Rainbow flags, past and present, have also been used a symbol for other causes around the world, such as to represent some Indigenous groups in South America. The Rainbow Flag emoji can also be used to symbolize and show support for these causes. However, the rainbow flagβ€”and its emoji formβ€”is most widely recognized and used as symbol of LGBTQ Pride.

Examples of πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ Rainbow Flag emoji

Going to a Pride Parade for the first time next month & I’m very excited πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ
@DesaraeRachelle, May 24, 2021
I hope my kids never have to go through what I have gone through for being LGBTQ+Β πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆΒ β€οΈ
@AnitaNderu, September 17, 2020

Who uses πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ Rainbow Flag emoji?

The Rainbow Flag emoji πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ is commonly used by members and supporters of the LGBTQ community.

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Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ Rainbow Flag emoji like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ Rainbow Flag emoji that will help our users expand their word mastery.