The Pride Flag

Official Pride Flag and General Flag Etiquette

Intersex-inclusive_pride_flag.svg

In 2021, Valentino Vecchietti (she/they) of Intersex Equality Rights UK adapted the Progress Pride flag (English only) to incorporate the intersex flag, thereby creating the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag.

The Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag is the official Pride Flag of the federal public service of Canada!

In the spirit of all previous iterations of the Pride flags listed below, the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag continues to represent persons with diverse sexual orientations and those with diverse gender identities and expressions, whilst also explicitly including the intersex community.

Journey to the Inclusive Pride flag

  • 1978 Gilbert baker - The Rainbow Pride flag
  • 1999 Monica helms - The Trans Pride flag
  • 2013 Morgan carpenter - The Intersex Pride flag
  • 2017 Amber Hikes - The More Color, More Pride flag
  • 2018 Daniel Quasar - Progress Pride flag
  • 2021 Valentino Vecchietti - Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag

For more information about the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag, and its meaning, please visit our Resource Page.

Flag Specifications

All flags flown on federal buildings must follow strict protocol requirements, as identified by Public Services and Procurement Canada and Canadian Heritage, and respect flag specifications outlined by the flag creator(s). 

For more information about the construction and material requirements for flags being flown on federal buildings, please contact the PSPN directly. For more information on the official specifications of the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag, such as pantone colour codes and flag measurements, individuals are welcomed to connect with the flag creator, Valentino Vecchietti, directly by visiting their Global Inclusive Pride Flag webpage.

Symbolism of colours and patterns

The Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag includes horizontal stripes in red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple, as well white, baby pink, baby blue, brown and black chevron stripes pointing to the right, and a purple circle over a golden yellow triangle.

Each colour has its own meaning, of which is detailed below and in greater detail  within our Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag Backgrounder located on our Resource Page. 

  • Red, for celebrating life
  • Orange, for healing

  • Yellow, for sunlight

  • Green, for nature

  • Blue, for serenity

  • Purple, for the human spirit

  • White, baby pink and baby blue are the colours of the Transgender Pride flag

    • White, to represent people who are intersex, transitioning, or who do not have a defined gender
    • Baby pink and baby blue, colours that have traditionally been associated with girls and boys (gender binary)
  • The chevron arrow points to the right to show forward movement, while being along the flag’s hoist edge to show that progress still needs to be made as it relates to the inclusion of transgender people within society and Pride
  • Black and brown, which were added to provide people of colour more representation in Pride

  • The chevron arrow points to the right to show forward movement, while being along the flag’s hoist edge to show that progress still needs to be made as it relates to the inclusion of racialized persons within society and Pride
  • A purple circle on a golden yellow background, the colours and design of the Intersex Pride flag

    • These colours avoid referencing gender stereotypes, sometimes seen in other colours like blue and pink 
    • The circle represents wholeness, completeness, and intersex people’s potentialities

Pride flag variations

The Pride flag exists so that gender- and sexually-diverse persons can celebrate and feel the joy of their own existence. The Pride flag also provides the diverse communities that make up the broader 2SLGBTQIA+ ‘community’ with the opportunity to come together in solidarity and allyship, to uplift each other’s voices, and to campaign for intersectional inclusion, equity and representation in all spheres of society.

The PSPN understands the inability or difficulty of one Pride flag appropriately or effectively acting as a unifying symbol for the entire ‘community’. While the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag strives to represent all 2SLGBTQIA+ persons and communities, the PSPN acknowledges that the Flag may not resonate  and may not capture the breadth and depth of realities of all gender- and/or sexually-diverse persons.

Our 2SLGBTQIA+ communities are rich and made up of diverse individuals with a variety of intersecting identities. Each person and their community should feel recognized and respected for their unique positionality. 

There are limitations as to how the federal public service can display and fly flags on the exterior of federal buildings. The PSPN does, however, encourage individuals to display the Pride flag of their choice within their respective team spaces.

Copyrighting

Use of the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag is permitted. However, Valentino Vecchietti, the creator of the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag, asks to be credited/acknowledged in association with its use.

Flag Protocol

The manner in which flags may be displayed in Canada is not governed by legislation but rather by established practice. The etiquette outlined in this section is an adaptation of international usage and of customs that the federal government has been observing for many years.

Pride flag raising and displaying

Flying the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag – or other iterations of the Pride Flag – in our federal buildings supports federal efforts and mandates to build a diverse and inclusive workforce, in addition to serving diverse Canadians in an inclusive way. 

Visible Pride flags are a simple way to contribute to a sense of belonging and demonstrate that your department, agency and/or team celebrates the diversity of all staff. This visible representation leads to inclusion and a sense of belonging, providing equity-deserving groups and employees with a positive feeling of being recognized, acknowledged and celebrated.

The Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag can be flown at various times during the calendar year. These dates can include:

  • International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia – May 17
  • International Day of Pink (second week of April, annually)
  • Pride Month (dates vary across provinces and territories, from June to September annually)
  • Public Service Pride Week (third week of August, annually)

There is no directive that states that the National Flag of Canada must be the only flag to fly in the lobbies or other open spaces within Government of Canada properties. Similarly, while federal properties must display the National Flag of Canada on their exterior flagpole, other flags may also be displayed if a given property has the facilities to do so (i.e. additional flagpoles).

The most important thing to consider when displaying the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag (or any other flag) on or in federal properties is to follow correct order of precedence for flags and to ensure that the National Flag of Canada is given proper respect by occupying the position of honour.

For more information on this subject, we encourage you to have a look at Canadian Heritage’s National Flag Etiquette and the rules for flying the National Flag of Canada, in particular the guidelines on how to display multiple flags both on interior and exterior poles. To help make sense of the proper order of flags listed in the links above, the Pride Flag is considered an organizational flag.

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Pride flag raising during half-masting

The National Flag of Canada half-masting notices provide details about half-masting events in Canada, or in special circumstances, in a foreign country. See the Rules for Half-masting the National Flag of Canada for more information.

In the event that the National Flag is to be flown at half-mast, all flags within the surrounding stand of flags must be lowered accordingly.

Need more information about the Pride flag?

Please contact the PSP Secretariat