Image of the bi flag taken at San Francisco Pride by Peter Salanki.
The Bi Flag
The bi flag was officially unveiled in 1998 after creator Michael Page found that many people he knew did not identify with the rainbow flag, viewing it as a symbol more for gay men and women than for bisexual folk. Page drew from an older bi symbol known as the ‘biangle’ - two triangles, one pink, one blue, slightly overlapping to create a purple colour. This accounts for the 2:1:2 ratio of pink, purple, and blue on the flag itself. As for the colours, there are two important meanings to note: while pink represents same sex attraction, blue different sex attraction, and purple the mix of the two, the purple also represents the way Page perceived the bisexual community to ‘blend unnoticeably into both the gay/lesbian and straight communities’. This flag was an important step towards visibility and representation for the bi community.
Image of a man celebrating Pride in Geneva next to an upside-down bi flag, taken by Delia Giandeini.
Page evidently touched upon something that the bi community was looking for, because by 2000 it was being flown in Pride parades in Australia and Italy - at World Pride, no less. The bi flag is now over two decades old, and has become the preeminent symbol for bi communities across the globe.