Bisexuals are sometimes called the “invisible majority” of the queer community, with nearly three-fifths of LGBTQ adults in America identifying as bisexual. Given the prevalence of bisexuality, of course there would be a bisexual flag for those who reject the notion of sexuality as a binary choice to wave proudly! Here’s everything you need to know about the bi flag.
There’s a Bi Flag?
Yes! We said that already.
What Does The Bi Flag Look Like?
The bi flag consists of three stripes. A pink stripe at the top, a purple stripe in the middle, and a blue stripe at the bottom.
What Do The Colors on The Bisexual Flag Mean?
The pink stripe at the top of the flag represents same-sex attraction, while the blue stripe at the bottom of the flag represents attraction to the opposite gender. Meanwhile, the middle purple stripe is the resulting overlap of the blue and pink stripes, which represents attraction to all genders including non-binary folks and people with other gender identities.
Who Designed The Bi Flag and What Inspired Them?
The bi flag was designed by Michael Page in 1998 as a way to increase visibility of bisexuals within the LGBTQ community and society as a whole. Page wanted bisexuals to have a symbol like the rainbow pride flag.
For the colors and overlap scheme of the bi flag, Page took inspiration from the “biangles” that were designed by artist Liz Nania in 1987 as she was helping to organize a bisexual contingent for the Second March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The biangles consist of a pink triangle which was a Nazi concentration camp badge that was later reclaimed as a symbol of gay liberation and support by AIDS activist group ACT UP, and a blue triangle that represents heterosexuality. When the triangles overlap, they create the color purple, which represents bisexuality.
As Page has said of the design, “The key to understanding the symbolism of the Bi Pride Flag is to know that the purple pixels of color blend unnoticeably into both the pink and blue, just as in the ‘real world,’ where bi people blend unnoticeably into both the gay/lesbian and straight communities.”
Is There a Bisexual Flag Emoji?
No, for shame! There are currently only two LGBTQ flag emojis (transgender and rainbow pride), but there have been petitions calling for a bi flag emoji as well. Unfortunately, the Unicode Consortium rejected them.
