In a world where LGBTQ Pride flags radiate color, inclusivity, and hope, some corners of the internet—and the political world—have decided to offer up their own response: the so-called Straight Pride flag. And yes, it exists. In fact, there’s more than one version of it. But while LGBTQ flags celebrate identities and build community, these straight Pride flags do the opposite.
The most recognizable version of the straight Pride flag is a dull black-and-white striped design—basically a desaturated knockoff of the rainbow flag, stripped of both color and meaning. Another variation adds male and female gender symbols to the center, attempting to emphasize heterosexuality with bland, binary flair. Both flags are commonly described as part of the “Straight Pride” or “heterosexual” movement—a reactionary response to queer visibility.
It’s not just fringe internet forums embracing the idea. In 2015, the Russian political party United Russia, linked to Vladimir Putin, publicly displayed the flag during a national holiday celebrating “family, love, and faithfulness.” They did it just after same-sex marriage was legalized in the U.S. Back in 2019, the “Straight Pride” concept took to the streets with a parade in Boston, organized by a group calling themselves Super Happy Fun America.
But beneath the mockery, these events often reveal anti-gay and anti-trans sentiments, attempting to ridicule and diminish queer pride. While LGBTQ flags promote visibility, history, and love, the straight Pride movement and its symbols echo backlash, bitterness, and bigotry. Let’s be clear: Pride exists because queer people had to fight for the right to exist. Straight people have always had the world. Queer people created Pride to survive it.
