From Denver to Vail, Pike’s Peak to the Colorado River, Colorado is known for its stunning natural beauty, exciting resorts, modern culture, and metropolitan cities. Celebrate the Centennial State with this high-quality American-made Colorado state flag!

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“I find the ‘lipstick lesbian’ flag to be offensive in its many shades of pink and because the term ‘lipstick lesbian’ was used as a means of marketing lesbian porn to cis/straight men in the late 70s and early 80s. At the time lesbians were stereotyped as masculine and unappealing to the largely male audience, so the porn industry started using ‘lipstick lesbian’ on the packaging to identify femme-on-femme pornography.

Here's a whistle stop tour of some of the most well-known, how they've evolved, and what each flag (roughly) represents.

Different designs of this flag exist, but it usually shows a black upside triangle, repurposing a symbol lesbians were forced to wear by Nazis in World War II.

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Although Colorado had a flag since 1907, in 1911, its design was submitted to the Colorado State Senate by Andrew Carlisle Carson and quickly accepted.

An updated version of the rainbow flag – including the colours black and brown, to represent people of colour and the fight against racism – was introduced by Philadelphia-based LGBTQ+ activists in 2017.

Colorado is known as the Centennial State because it was admitted to the union in 1876, the 100th anniversary of America’s independence from Great Britain. In 1910, a group of Coloradan Daughters of the American Revolution erroneously believed that Colorado lacked a flag and set it upon themselves to create one.

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Meg Cale, the former LGBTQ+ rights activist behind website EveryQueer.com, says, “The rainbow flag is a universally recognised symbol of queerness that is helpful in identifying queer-friendly people and places. Lesbians have had several variations of flags over the years. None of them have caught on in the way the Pride flag or the trans flags have caught on.

“The rainbow flag is wonderful, but it is empowering to fly your own flag too. It helps those who are most marginalised to find their safe spaces, find belonging, and find their tribe.”

This state flag of Colorado attaches easily and securely to any of our outdoor flagpoles with its durable canvas header and brass grommets. Our flags are available in multiple sizes, with the 3’ x 5’ being our most popular flag size.

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Although some feel this flag has been co opted by 'trans exclusionary radical feminists' in recent times, one of the oldest lesbian flags dates back to 1999 and was in fact created by a cis man: gay graphic designer Sean Campbell.

*Flags size 12" x 18" - 6' x 10' come with a header and grommet, while our larger and heavier flags are equipped with a rope and galvanized thimbles.

“At the time, gender variation was not as accepted in mainstream media. During this period of time, the term ‘lipstick lesbian’ became part of popular vernacular when it was featured on an episode of Ellen. I self-identify as femme because for me, I’m not feminine-presenting because society tells me to, but because my gender expression most accurately reflects my perception of self. The history of the term lipstick lesbian and the eye-roll worthy multi-pink flag makes me feel like that particular identity is used as a means of straight-washing a queer identity and phenomenon.

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Some lesbians also oppose use of any flag revised from the lipstick original because its designer Natalie McCray reportedly wrote racist, biphobic and transphobic comments on a since-deleted blog.

The 1911 design looks very similar to the current one, though, in the 1930s, the red and blue colors were standardized. In 1964, the gold circle in the “C” was expanded to match the size of the center white stripe. This is the current design.

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Our nylon flag of Colorado features a long-lasting digital print and is quick to dry, making it ideal for everyday display. Thanks to its nylon construction, these flags are lightweight, ensuring they can fly gracefully in a light breeze.

The backdrop of the labrys flag usually features the colour purple, or lavender, long associated with lesbianism, and also the colour of violets – a flower historically used by lesbians to indicate themselves to other lesbians.

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Last year it was revised again into a 'Progress Flag' by Daniel Quasar. As explained via his Kickstarter, the five extra stripes represent "trans individuals (light blue, light pink, white), marginalised POC communities (brown, black), as well as those living with AIDS, those no longer living, and the stigma surrounding them (black).”

“Unfortunately, there was very little lesbian representation in the media at the time and some femme-presenting lesbians started self-identifying as ‘lipstick lesbians’. In the 90s and early 00s ‘lipstick lesbian chic’ became a trend in media where feminine-presenting lesbians were pushed forward as more ‘normal’ than their gender non-conforming counterparts in the community.

“[But] I think symbology expands and changes as cultures and society changes. If new flags, or more inclusive versions of our flags make people feel more seen and affirmed I’m all for it. I’d love to see a flag for queer women that I can identify with.”

The above flag, which is inclusive of butch women plus trans and gender non-conforming folk, gained popularity after it was designed and shared to social media by Twitter user Emily Gwen last year.

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Are you searching for the indoor version of this flag instead? Click here to view the Colorado flag finished with a pole sleeve and gold fringe around three borders.

Purple also represents lesbians in the iconic rainbow flag, created by the late San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978 and featuring seven colours.

“Bisexual people, trans people, intersex people and people of colour have too often been all but invisible within the LGBTQI community. When we’re not erased completely, we’re vilified and attacked. Despite featuring prominently in the acronym, lesbians too have been made to feel unwelcome and uncomfortable in 'gay' spaces, where unchecked misogyny is allowed to fester. That’s just one of the reasons that having our own colours is important," says Carrie Lyell, editor of DIVA magazine, Europe’s best-selling magazine for lesbians and bi women.

Featuring shades of pink, white and red, it is commonly used to represent lesbians – although some feel it represents only 'lipstick' or 'femme' lesbians. This likely stems from its original version. Created in 2010, it first featured a lipstick mark in its top left hand corner. While some still embrace the first version, others argue it and its subsequent version are butch-phobic, leading to variations in colour.

You’ll of course see the rainbow flag flying proudly at Pride celebrations around the world – as well as many others that represent different sections of the LGBTQ+ community. And while some lesbians feel represented by the rainbow flag, there is certainly a lesbian pride flag – or flags – to represent this group (or as some would argue, groups within the group), each with different meanings. In fact, there are literally hundreds of variations.