Today, we operate in over 120 countries, many of which still don’t provide legal protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals.
We stood as a public supporter for marriage equality even before it became legal in the United States – and we continue to advocate for every type of family. In 1993, we began offering employee benefits for same-sex domestic partnerships, making us one of the first companies in the world to do so. Microsoft introduced sexual orientation into our non-discrimination policies in 1989 – and we’ve been driving LGBTQIA+ inclusion ever since. Our work doesn’t start or stop with Pride. We hope they remind you that by coming together across groups and bridging borders, we can create change for LGBTQIA+ communities and beyond. Thirty-three flags representing different LGBTQIA+ identities, one Ally flag and one Polyamory flag make up this year’s designs. This Pride, LGBTQIA+ communities at Microsoft are illuminating the interconnected nature of the challenges we face – and calling for a unified global response across all borders, both real and perceived.ĭeveloped with the global LGBTQIA+ employees and allies across Microsoft, our campaign celebrates the nuance, vibrancy and strength of the many LGBTQIA+ communities – and how closely they’re connected. And because many people belong to both communities, they’re not two distinct causes but instead overlap.Standing up for LGBTQIA+ equity since 1989
Sometimes called the Resistance Flag (opens in new tab), according to Them writer Matt Baume: "The modern LGBTQ+ liberation movement was touched off by queer and trans people of color and their struggle continues to this day, with both communities seeking justice, equality, and freedom from oppression. The raised fist is a sign of unity and support as well as defiance and resistance, and the various colors on the fist represent diversity. No surprise, the flag has become more popular in 2020 and beyond. Johnson (opens in new tab), the Black drag queen who may have thrown the first brick (opens in new tab) at the Stonewall Inn riots) to the movements. Read on to learn more about the flags, their origins, and their meanings.Īs a representation of Queer People of Color, it's not known who the original creator of the flag was (opens in new tab) but represents solidarity with the BLM movement as well as the intersection of the queer and Black communities (including the importance of figures like Marsha P. In a world in which students are expelled for handing out Pride flags to protest Florida's "Don't Say Gay Bill," the need to show support for LGTBQ+ rights-publicly as well as privately-is as important as ever. Recent Pride events have even more significance in conjunction with BLM protests and activities You may have seen the hashtag #BlackTransLivesMatter, for instance, or the raised-fist resistance Pride flag (more on that below). But what's powerful is that the breadth of LGBTQ+ representation continues to evolve, a nod to the diversity of sex, sexuality, attraction, and gender. There's also some disagreement about what should be considered the "official" flags, and controversy about some of the flags' origins and meaning.
This list of 30 Pride flags utilizes information from a range of sources, in particular The Advocate (opens in new tab)'s comprehensive guide-but even outside of this article, there are many more iterations of Pride flags that exist, including flags from different countries (opens in new tab) and states flags that include relevant symbols and two or more flags combined into one.