Celebrating the New Polyamory Pride Flag
Photo credit: polyamproud
So, we have a new polyamory flag.
In case you missed it, the Instagram account @polyamproud ran a community project to finally find a new Polyamory Pride Flag. The existing flag has been around since 1995 but has never been, let's say, enthusiastically embraced by the whole community. And while there have been various attempts to create a replacement over the years, none of these ever managed to grab people's attention.
Until now.
The History of the Polyamory Pride Flag
The original design for what became known as the more or less "official" Polyamory Pride Flag was created in 1995 by Jim Evans. Seeing the value in the images and symbols used by the LGBTQ+ community, he and his friends decided the polyamorous community needed something similar. So he booted up his Windows 3.1 PC, opened Microsoft Paint, and created the first Polyamory Pride Flag.
Image Credit: Jim Evans
The poly pride flag consists of three equal horizontal colored stripes with a symbol in the center of the flag. The colors of the stripes, from top to bottom, are as follows: blue, representing the openness and honesty among all partners with which we conduct our multiple relationships; red, representing love and passion; and black, representing solidarity with those who, though they are open and honest with all participants of their relationships, must hide those relationships from the outside world due to societal pressures. The symbol in the center of the flag is a gold Greek lowercase letter 'pi', as the first letter of 'polyamory'. The letter's gold color represents the value that we place on the emotional attachment to others, be the relationship friendly or romantic in nature, as opposed to merely primarily physical relationships. (Jim Evans, 2016)
But while having a community flag was celebrated, it was never particularly loved. Evans was not a graphic designer. This was simply a well-intentioned person creating something that hadn't existed before.
Many people complained the flag was unattractive or not suitable for its intended purpose, and many alternatives were suggested. But none of them ever caught the imagination of the community. And so, over twenty years later, the Jim Evans flag was still the most recognised one the community had.
Enter the polyamproud team.
The Creation of the new Polyamory Pride Flag
I wish I could give a better description of the formation of polyamproud as a group, but I don't know enough to do them justice. So please head over to their website to learn more about them.
But what is important is they decided to finally take charge and organise the community to find a new flag. Recognising that there would never be one design that would be perfect for everyone, they instead decided the only way forward was to put both the creative process and the final decision in the hands of the community itself.
Opening their campaign back in May 2021, they sought submissions from designers from all over the world. These were then put to a diverse committee made up of people from every part of the polyamorous community to whittle the selection down to a final shortlist of four entries. These were then put to a public vote, which received over 30,000 votes in one month.
And now we have our new Polyamorous Pride Flag.
Image credit: polyamproud
It takes the best of the original flag, including its color symbolism, and improves on those elements of the Pi flag which alienated viewers.
A white chevron flows outward to depict the growth and possibility of the non-monogamous community. It sits asymmetrically on the flag to reflect the non-traditional style of polyamorous relationships.
The heart reminds us that love in all forms is the core of non-monogamy.
As in the original polyamory flag:
Red stands for love and attraction.
Blue stands for openness and honesty.
However, this redesign also makes thoughtful alterations:
Gold represents the energy and perseverance of those in the non-monogamous community.
Purple to represent a united non-monogamous community. (www.polyamproud.com/flag)
Why Does Having a Polyamory Pride Flag Matter
The original intention of the Polyamory Pride Flag was to create a symbol for the community to gather around. A way to show our pride in who we are. Without wanting to appropriate anything from the LBGBTQ+ community, their use of pride flags had shown how beneficial they could be for a marginalised community.
Having a Polyamory Pride Flag helps give our community a sense of unity. It's something we can look at and feel part of something bigger than ourselves. A reminder that we're not alone. That there are other people like us out there. That we are a community rather than a loose collection of random people who don't feel monogamy works for them.
And the genius of what polyamproud have done is to bring that community into the decision-making process. While some people might have preferred a different option, the fact that the decision was democratic gives us all a sense of shared ownership. Unlike other attempts at creating a new flag, this one truly feels like it is owned by all of us together.
Thank you so much to everyone involved with polyamproud for what they have done for the community. And also to everyone who submitted their designs or voted in the final poll.
So go on out there and wave our new Polyamory Pride Flag high. I suspect we'll be seeing these colours a lot in the coming months as the community finds new ways to embrace their new symbol of belonging. (I know I have a couple of ideas).
I feel very proud to be part of this community. I can't wait to see you all standing proudly beneath our new banner.
