Why These Flags Fly: Pride, Protest, and Solidarity in this year’s pride parade

Explaining our choices, standing by our values, and honoring our interconnected struggles.

At Queer Northshore, our mission has always been to create a safer, more inclusive, and more just world for all LGBTQIA+ people—especially those living on the margins of the margins. That means not only celebrating identity, but standing up against systems of oppression that harm our community in all its diversity. This year’s Pride theme, “Protesting with Pride,” reflects that commitment.

Pride was born from protest. It is intersectional. And it must be rooted in solidarity with all oppressed peoples, because our struggles are interconnected. It was never meant to be a space sanitized of political struggle—especially not when members of our own community are actively experiencing violence and oppression. The idea that neutrality can be maintained in the face of genocide and human suffering is disturbing and must be challenged. 

In our own country, we are witnessing the indefinite detention of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, the criminalization of trans individuals, widespread book bans, unchecked gun violence, escalating climate disasters, voter suppression, and the rise of fascist rhetoric. American freedoms and liberties are under siege.

The Palestinian flag represents our solidarity with those suffering in Gaza and the West Bank where over 50,000 Palestinians, including more than 15,000 children, have lost their lives in recent years as a result of ethnic cleansing, funded in part by our taxes. We oppose all forms of genocide and oppression, regardless of geography.

Queer Northshore enjoys broad and growing support from our local community, our volunteers, and national allies—including the full support of Jewish Voice for Peace (New Orleans), a Jewish organization committed to justice, human rights, and Palestinian liberation.

We acknowledge that these symbols may evoke discomfort. However, confronting uncomfortable truths is essential in our collective fight for liberation. Our commitment remains unwavering: to build a movement rooted in solidarity, visibility, and justice for all. None of us are free until all of us are free. 

  • A symbol of LGBTQ+ pride and visibility since 1978.

    Each color in the rainbow stands for a different aspect of life, from healing to spirit. It celebrates queer joy, resistance, and the fight for equality.

  • A modern update centering trans and intersex people and communities of color.

    The arrow represents forward movement, while black and brown stripes honor queer Black and brown folks, the pink, blue, and white stripes represent the trans community, and a field of yellow with a purple circle, symbolizing intersex inclusion.

  • Created by Monica Helms in 1999 to represent trans identity.

    The blue and pink reflect traditional colors for boys and girls, with white for those who are nonbinary, transitioning, or of other genders.

  • A flag for people whose gender exists outside the binary.

    Yellow stands for those outside male/female norms, white for multi-gender people, purple for those in between, and black for people without gender.

  • A reclaiming of the word “queer” as powerful and inclusive.

    This flag represents a broad spectrum of LGBTQ+ identities, often including stripes for community, joy, and gender diversity.

  • Honors people living with disabilities and the diversity of their experiences.

    The diagonal stripes break from traditional straight lines to symbolize movement and innovation. The colors represent physical, intellectual, sensory, mental illness, and invisible disabilities.

  • The pink triangle, once used by Nazis to persecute queer people, reclaimed as a symbol of power and defiance. Popularized by ACT UP during the AIDS crisis, it represents direct action, queer resistance, and “Silence = Death.”

  • A symbol of resilience in the face of invasion, displacement, and war.
    The blue and yellow flag represents the Ukrainian people’s fight for freedom, sovereignty, and survival. Its presence honors queer Ukrainians and all civilians resisting imperialist violence and forced exile.

  • A declaration of solidarity with immigrants and refugees of all backgrounds.

    This flag calls attention to the struggles faced by immigrant communities—detention, deportation, xenophobia—and affirms that LGBTQ+ liberation is inseparable from immigrant justice.

  • A global symbol of a people facing occupation, displacement, and apartheid.

    Its inclusion expresses solidarity with queer Palestinians and all those resisting colonial violence and genocide. This flag does not represent Hamas or terrorism—it represents a people’s struggle for dignity, survival, and freedom. We believe it is possible—and necessary—to oppose antisemitism and to condemn state violence against Palestinians. We reject the false binary that demands we choose between the two.

Pride is not neutral. It is not “just a celebration.” It is a platform for resistance, solidarity, and truth-telling—even when that truth is uncomfortable.

To all those standing with us: thank you for marching in solidarity, for protesting with pride, and for believing in a future that is radically inclusive.

In community and resistance,
Jeremy JF Thompson and Mel Manuel

Executive Directors, Queer Northshore

Jeremy Thompson