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{{Short description|Flag with the colors of the rainbow}}
{{about|rainbow colors in miscellaneous flags|the LGBTQ pride flag|Rainbow flag (LGBTQ)}}
{{pp-pc|small=yes}}
[[File:Classic Rainbow Flag.svg|thumb|250px|Illustration of a flag using prism and non-prism rainbow colors]]
A '''rainbow flag''' is a multicolored [[flag]] consisting of the colors of the [[rainbow]]. The designs differ, but many of the colors are based on the seven [[spectral color]]s of the [[visible light spectrum]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Alvarez|first1=José Antonio Pozas|title=Why Does the Rainbow have 7 Colors?|url=https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/physics/why-does-the-rainbow-have-7-colors/|website=OpenMind|date=7 August 2018|access-date=30 May 2019|archive-date=1 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401071116/https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/physics/why-does-the-rainbow-have-7-colors/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The mathematical colors of the rainbow using HSL|url=http://www.comfsm.fm/~dleeling/cis/hsl_rainbow.html|website=[[College of Micronesia-FSM]]|access-date=30 May 2019|archive-date=25 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725170424/http://www.comfsm.fm/~dleeling/cis/hsl_rainbow.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
In the 18th century, [[American Revolutionary War]] writer [[Thomas Paine]] proposed that a rainbow flag be used as a maritime flag to signify neutral ships in time of war.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Conway |editor1-first=Moncure Daniel |title=The Writings of Thomas Paine |date=1895 |volume= 3 |page=367 |chapter=XXIX – The Eighteenth Fructidor |publisher=[[G.P. Putnam's Sons]] |location=New York }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=[[Federal Writers' Project]] (WPA) |title=New York—A Guide to the Empire State |date=1940 |edition=1st |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=0195000382}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=New Rochelle, NY–Points of Interest |url=http://thehistorybox.com/ny_state/nys_interest_article00006.htm |website=The History Box |date=May 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108033944/http://www.thehistorybox.com/ny_state/nys_interest_article00006.htm |archive-date=January 8, 2009 |url-status=dead}} (Transcription of ''New York—A Guide to the Empire State'' page.)</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Abbey |first1=Edward |title=One Life at a Time, Please |date=1988 |edition=1st |page=58 |publisher=[[Henry Holt and Company]] |location=New York |isbn=0805006028 |url=https://archive.org/details/onelifeattimeple00abbe/page/58 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

Contemporary international uses of a rainbow flag dates to the beginning of the 20th century. The [[International Co-operative Alliance]] adopted a rainbow flag in 1925.  A [[Wiphala|similar flag]] (ca. 1920) is used in Andean indigenism in [[Peru]] and [[Bolivia]] to represent the legacy of the [[Inca Empire]]. Since 1961, the international [[Peace rainbow flag|peace flag]], also known as the PACE flag, has been especially popular in Italy and to a lesser extent Europe and the rest of the world. Since 1978, when it was created to represent [[gay pride]], the rainbow [[Rainbow flag (LGBT)|pride flag]] has evolved as a symbol of the [[LGBT movement]] (in 1978, the community as a whole was referred to and described as the "Gay" community; the term "LGBT" did not yet exist.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gaysweek (September 25, 1978) |url=https://www.pridemuseum.plus/search-box/Gaysweek%20New%2067%20September%201987/GaysweekNew67September1987.html |website=Pride Museum |access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Gay community news: February 19, 1983. volume 10, number 30 |url=https://repository.library.northeastern.edu/files/neu:m046hr752 |website=Northeastern University Library |publisher=[[Northeastern University]] |access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref>)

There are several independent rainbow flags in use today.

==In cultures and movements==
===Reformation (1525)===
[[File:Flagge der Bauern im Bauernkrieg.png|thumb|upright|Replica of [[Thomas Müntzer]]'s Rainbow Banner]]
The reformer [[Thomas Müntzer]] (1489–1525) connected socially revolutionary claims with his religious preaching ([[Covenant (biblical)#Noahic covenant|Genesis 9:11–17]], [[Isaiah 40#Verse 8|Isaiah 40:8]], [[First Epistle of Peter|1 Peter 1:25]]). He is often portrayed with a rainbow banner in his hand. The Thomas Müntzer statue in the German town of [[Stolberg, Saxony-Anhalt|Stolberg]] also shows him holding a rainbow banner in his hand.

In the [[German Peasants' War]] of the 16th century, Müntzer's rainbow banner together with the peasants' boot ("[[Bundschuh]]") was used as the sign of a new era, of hope and of [[social change]].

The choice of the rainbow in the form of a flag harks back to the rainbow as a symbol of [[Bible|biblical]] promise. According to the Bible, [[God]] used the rainbow as a sign to [[Noah]] that there would never again be a worldwide flood,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://christianity.about.com/od/symbolspictures/ig/Christian-Symbols-Glossary/Christian-Rainbow.htm |title=Christian symbols Glossary |access-date=2007-08-20 |archive-date=2011-05-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514163036/http://christianity.about.com/od/symbolspictures/ig/Christian-Symbols-Glossary/Christian-Rainbow.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://goodnewspirit.com/rainbow.htm|title=The Sign of the Rainbow Symbol of God's Everlasting Covenant|website=goodnewspirit.com|access-date=2007-08-20|archive-date=2007-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018144328/http://goodnewspirit.com/rainbow.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> also known as the [[Genesis flood narrative#Rainbow covenant|Rainbow covenant]].

===Armenian Republic proposed flag (1919)===
[[File:Saryan---Flag-Rainbow.png|thumb|130px|Rainbow flag proposed for Armenia by artist [[Martiros Saryan]]]]
A rainbow flag was proposed for [[Armenia]] when it regained independence after World War I. It was designed by Armenian artist [[Martiros Saryan]]. It was not adopted as the country instead went with three stripes using the colors used in a past Armenian kingdom. The artist used muted, richer colors reflecting Armenian fabrics and carpets.<ref>{{cite web |title=Հայկական դրոշի "սարյանական թեզի" առեղծվածը կամ ի՞նչ կապ կա հայոց եռագույնի և ծիածանի գույների միջև (լուսանկարներ) |url=https://www.tert.am/am/news/2012/06/17/rainbow-tricolor/529884 |website=[[Tert.am]] |language=Armenian |date=17 June 2012 |trans-title=The mystery of the "Saryan thesis" of the Armenian flag or what is the connection between the Armenian tricolor "rainbow colors" (photos) |access-date=31 May 2022 |archive-date=31 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531021602/https://www.tert.am/am/news/2012/06/17/rainbow-tricolor/529884 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Cooperative movement (1921)===
{{see also|International Cooperative Alliance#The flag}}
[[File:ICA flag.svg|thumb|150px|Until 2001, the [[International Cooperative Alliance]] used a rainbow flag.]]

A seven-colour rainbow flag is a common symbol of the international [[cooperative]] movement. The rainbow flag has been the cooperative emblem since 1921 when the International Co-operative Congress of World Co-op Leaders met in [[Basel|Basel, Switzerland]] to identify and define the growing cooperative movement's common values and ideals to help unite co-ops around the world.

In [[Essen|Essen, Germany]] in 1922, the [[International Co-operative Alliance]] (ICA) designed an international co-op symbol and a flag for the first "Co-operators' Day," which was held in July 1923. After some experiments with different designs, a famous French cooperator, [[Charles Gide]], suggested using the seven colours of the rainbow for the flag. He pointed out that the rainbow symbolized [[unity in diversity]] and the power of light, enlightenment and progress. The first co-op rainbow flag was completed in 1924 and was adopted as an official symbol of the international cooperative movement in 1925.

In 2001, the [[International Co-operative Alliance|ICA]]'s official flag was changed from a rainbow flag to a rainbow logo flag on a white field, to clearly promote and strengthen the cooperative image, but still use the rainbow image. Other organizations sometimes use the traditional rainbow flag as a symbol of cooperation.

Like the [[rainbow]], this flag is a symbol of hope and peace. The seven colours from flags around the world fly in harmony. Each of the seven colours in the co-operative flag have been assigned the following meaning:
* red: stands for courage
* orange: offers the vision of possibilities
* yellow: represents the challenge that ''green'' has kindled
* green: indicates a challenge to co-operators to strive for growth of membership and of understanding of the aims and values of co-operation
* light blue: suggests far horizons – the need to provide education and help less fortunate people and strive toward global unity
* dark blue: suggests pessimism – a reminder that less fortunate people have needs that may be met through the benefits of cooperation
* violet: is the colour of warmth, beauty, and friendship

The ICA has been flying a flag with its official logo since April 2001, when its Board decided to replace the traditional rainbow flag. Its use by a number of non-cooperative groups led to confusion in several countries around the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=Introduction to ICA|url=http://www.ica.coop/ica/index.html|website=International Co-operative Alliance|date=21 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015205234/http://www.ica.coop/ica/index.html|archive-date=October 15, 2008}}</ref>

===Peace movement (1961)===
{{main article|Peace flag#The Rainbow flag}}
[[File:PACE-flag.svg|thumb|[[Peace flag|PACE flag]] (Italian for '[[peace]]')]]

This rainbow flag in Italy was first used in a peace march in 1961, inspired by similar multi-coloured flags used in demonstrations against [[nuclear weapon]]s. It became popular with the ''Pace da tutti i balconi'' ("peace from every balcony") campaign in 2002, started as a protest against the impending [[war in Iraq]]. The most common variety has seven colours, purple, blue, [[azure (color)|azure]], green, yellow, orange and red, and is emblazoned in bold with the Italian word ''PACE'', meaning "peace".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bandieredipace.org/ |website=Bandiere di Pace.org |title=Flags of Peace |language=it |access-date=2007-08-20 |archive-date=2015-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812010632/http://www.bandieredipace.org/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://amnesty.no/det-nytter-5 |work=Amnesty International |title=Det nytter! |date=6 June 2003 |trans-title=It helps! |language=no |access-date=21 March 2020 |archive-date=21 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321112135/https://amnesty.no/det-nytter-5 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Common variations include moving the purple stripe down below the azure one, and adding a white stripe on top (the original flag from the 60s had a white stripe on top). This flag has been adopted internationally as a symbol of the [[peace movement]].

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===Andean indigenism (1973, 2009)===
{{Main article|Flag of Cusco|Wiphala}}
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[[File:Banner of the Qulla Suyu (1979).svg|thumb|upright|125px|[[Wiphala]], 2009]]

The [[Flag of Cusco]] was introduced in Peru in 1973, and became used as the official emblem of the city of [[Cusco]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Conoce la historia y significado de la bandera del Cusco |url=https://www.peru.travel/es/masperu/conoce-la-historia-y-significado-de-la-bandera-del-cusco |website=Peru.travel |date=6 December 2021 |access-date=29 January 2022 |language=Spanish |trans-title=Do you know the history and significance of the flag of Cusco |archive-date=29 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129204000/https://www.peru.travel/es/masperu/conoce-la-historia-y-significado-de-la-bandera-del-cusco |url-status=live }}</ref>  In 2007, the [[Provincial Municipality of Cusco|municipality]] decided to modify the flag design so that it would not be confused with the Gay Pride flag.<ref>{{cite news |title=La ciudad de Cuzco cambia su bandera debido a la semejanza con la insignia gay |url=https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/sociedad/2007/10/16/ciudad-cuzco-cambia-bandera-debido-semejanza-insignia-gay/00031192542943444661624.htm |work=[[La Voz de Galicia]] |date=16 October 2007 |access-date=29 January 2022 |language=Spanish |quote=The city of Cuzco changes its flag because of the similarity with the gay symbol |archive-date=29 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129204401/https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/sociedad/2007/10/16/ciudad-cuzco-cambia-bandera-debido-semejanza-insignia-gay/00031192542943444661624.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The new flag design was implemented in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cusco aprueba ordenanza que incluye el Sol de Echenique en su estandarte oficial |url=https://andina.pe/agencia/noticia-cusco-aprueba-ordenanza-incluye-sol-echenique-su-estandarte-oficial-847945.aspx |work=[[Andina (news agency)|Andina]] |date=4 June 2021 |access-date=29 January 2022 |language=Spanish |trans-title=Cusco approves ordinance that includes the Sun of Echenique crest in its official banner |archive-date=29 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129211332/https://andina.pe/agencia/noticia-cusco-aprueba-ordenanza-incluye-sol-echenique-su-estandarte-oficial-847945.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> In Ecuador, a rainbow emblem is used by the ''[[Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement – New Country|Pachakutik]]'' political party (1995), which is composed mostly of left-wing indigenous people.

A seven-striped rainbow flag design is used in [[Peru]], [[Bolivia]] and [[Ecuador]] as a symbol of native ethnic groups and culture, and is anachronistically associated with the [[Inca Empire|Tawantin Suyu]], or Inca territory.<ref name=Fotw-IncaEmpire>{{Cite web |title=Flags of the Inca Empire (and of western South America): Tawantin Suyu |url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/xi.html |website=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |date=November 17, 2017 |access-date=March 4, 2022 |archive-date=August 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808165945/https://www.fotw.info/flags/xi.html |url-status=live }}</ref>  Although commonly believed in Peru to be a flag of the [[Incan Empire]], the oldest known rainbow flag dates back only to the 18th century and was used by [[Túpac Amaru II]] during [[Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II|his indigenous revolt against the Spanish]].<ref name=Fotw-IncaEmpire />  [[María Rostworowski]], a Peruvian historian known for her extensive and detailed publications about Peruvian Ancient Cultures and the Inca Empire, said about this: "I bet my life, the Inca never had that flag, it never existed, no chronicler mentioned it".<ref>{{cite web|title=¿Bandera gay o del Tahuantinsuyo? |url=http://vidayestilo.terra.com.pe/bandera-gay-o-del-tahuantinsuyo,df4c7c1c09e4e210VgnVCM4000009bf154d0RCRD.html |website=Terra.com |date=19 April 2010 |trans-title=Gay flag or Tahuantinsuyo flag? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127221514/http://vidayestilo.terra.com.pe/bandera-gay-o-del-tahuantinsuyo,df4c7c1c09e4e210VgnVCM4000009bf154d0RCRD.html |archive-date=November 27, 2012}}</ref> The National Academy of Peruvian History has stated on the topic: "The official use of the wrongly called 'Tawantinsuyu flag' is a mistake. In the pre-Hispanic Andean world the concept of flags did not exist, it did not belong to their historic context".<ref>{{cite web |title=Participación Ciudadana – Boletín Nº 59 |url=https://www4.congreso.gob.pe/participa/documentos/boletin23062004.pdf |publisher=Congreso de la República |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813085436/https://www4.congreso.gob.pe/participa/documentos/boletin23062004.pdf |archive-date=August 13, 2011 |date=23 June 2004 |quote=El uso oficial de la mal llamada bandera del Tahuantinsuyo es indebido y equívoco. En el mundo pre-hispánico andino no se vivió el concepto de bandera, que no corresponde a su contexto histórico.}}</ref>

=== LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Pride (1978) ===
{{Main article|Rainbow flag (LGBT)}}
[[File:Gay flag.svg|thumb|150px|Originally called the "[[Gay pride]]" flag, the six-band version became the most widely recognized since 1979, and now represents the [[LGBTQ]] movement.]]

The rainbow Pride flag was popularized as a symbol of the [[gay]] community by [[San Francisco]] artist [[Gilbert Baker (artist)|Gilbert Baker]] in 1978. The different colors are often associated with "diversity" in the [[gay community]], but actually have symbolic meanings. The flag is used predominantly at [[LGBT pride]] events and in [[gay village]]s worldwide in various forms including banners, clothing and jewelry.  Since the 1990s, its symbolism has been applied by the extended "[[LGBTQ]]" ([[lesbian]], [[gay]], [[bisexual]], [[transgender]], [[queer]]) community through differentiated flag designs.<ref>{{cite web|last1=McDonald |first1=Dave |title=Here’s What the Different LGBTQIA+ Flags Represent |url=https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/heres-what-the-different-lgbtqia-flags-represent/ |website=BU Today |publisher=[[Boston University]] |date=June 7, 2022}}</ref> In 1994, for the 25th anniversary of the [[Stonewall riots]] in New York city, a mile-long rainbow flag was created by Baker which he later cut into sections that were distributed around the world.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Melendez|first1=Lyanne|title=LGBTQ Pride: Gilbert Baker, creator of rainbow flag, shares story of strength and pride|url=https://abc7news.com/pride-flag-rainbow-the-colors/1780322/|website=[[KGO-TV]]|date=March 1, 2017|access-date=15 April 2020|archive-date=4 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604070256/https://abc7news.com/pride-flag-rainbow-the-colors/1780322/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The flag was originally created with eight colors, but [[pink]] and [[turquoise (color)|turquoise]] were removed for production purposes, and since 1979 it has consisted of six colored stripes. It is most commonly flown with the red stripe on top, as the colors appear in a natural rainbow.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of the Gay Pride / Rainbow Flag|url=http://www.fotw.us/flags/qq-rb_h.html|website=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]]|date=April 16, 2005|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001539/http://www.fotw.us/flags/qq-rb_h.html|archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref> The colors were determined to symbolize: 
* red: life
* orange: healing
* yellow: sunlight
* green: nature
* blue: harmony/peace
* purple/violet: spirit<ref name=Haagobit />

The color pink stood for sexuality and turquoise stood for art/magic.<ref name="Haagobit">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/us/obituary-gilbert-baker-rainbow-flag.html|title=Gilbert Baker, Gay Activist Who Created the Rainbow Flag, Dies at 65|last=Haag|first=Matthew|date=March 31, 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=25 April 2017|archive-date=3 April 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170403051859/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/us/obituary-gilbert-baker-rainbow-flag.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the 1980s, a black stripe representing [[AIDS]] victims was added to the bottom of a rainbow flag as a seventh color and named the [[:File:Victory over AIDS Flag.svg |"Victory Over AIDS"]] flag.<ref name="Cage2003">{{cite book|last1=Cage|first1=Ken|title=Gayle: The Language of Kinks and Queens: a History and Dictionary of Gay Language in South Africa|date=2003|page=45|publisher=Jacana Media|location=Houghton, South Africa|isbn=191993149X}}</ref>

In the late 2010s, the 1978 Pride flag by Gilbert Baker was annexed with separate flags containing additional colors representing individual segments of the LGBT community: in 2017, a collaboration between the Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs and the Tierney Agency added a brown and a black stripe at the top of the Pride flag to symbolize black and brown people of color, naming the design the "More Color, More Pride" (aka "Philly Pride") flag;<ref>{{Cite news|title=New pride flag divides Philly's gay community |url=https://nypost.com/2017/06/16/new-pride-flag-divides-phillys-gay-community/ |newspaper=[[New York Post]] |date=June 16, 2017 |access-date=10 January 2020 |archive-date=28 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128140139/https://nypost.com/2017/06/16/new-pride-flag-divides-phillys-gay-community/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=More Color More Pride |url=https://hellotierney.com/work/more-color-more-pride/ |website=Tierney |date=June 17, 2021 |access-date=15 September 2023}}</ref> and in 2018, the "Progress Pride" flag by [[Daniel Quasar]] incorporated the black and brown stripes of the Philly Pride flag, and colors of the 1999 [[transgender flag]] by [[Monica Helms]], as a [[Chevron (flag)|chevron]] on the Pride flag symbolizing queer, trans, and people of color.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Progress Pride flag |url=https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-progress-pride-flag |website=[[Victoria and Albert Museum]] |access-date=5 June 2023 |date=25 October 2021}}</ref> However, unlike the Gilbert Baker flag, transgender flag, and "More Color, More Pride" flag designs which are in the [[public domain]], the Progress Pride flag is copyrighted and fees are paid to Quasar for commercial duplication and sales of his design.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Foreman |first1=Matt |title=We need to walk away from the "Progress" Profit Flag |url=https://gaycitynews.com/we-need-walk-away-progress-profit-flag/ |newspaper=[[Gay City News]] |date=September 20, 2022 |access-date=15 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Boggs |first1=Jada |title=Copyright, Pride, and Progress: Navigating Ownership, Representation, and Cultural Rights |url=https://copyrightalliance.org/copyright-pride-progress/ |website=[[Copyright Alliance]] |date=June 13, 2023 |access-date=15 September 2023}}</ref>

=== Basque nationalism (1978)===
[[File:Batasuna.svg|thumb|150px|Herri Batasuna flag (Basque nationalism)]]

The leftist [[Herri Batasuna]] party used a rainbow version of the [[Ikurriña]] (Basque national flag) from 1978 until it was dissolved in 2001.<ref>{{cite book|author=Diego Muro|title=Ethnicity and Violence: The Case of Radical Basque Nationalism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jsns8ro5pR0C|date=13 May 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-16769-2|page=130|access-date=4 June 2021|archive-date=24 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424185400/https://books.google.com/books?id=Jsns8ro5pR0C|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Jewish Autonomous Oblast (1996)===
{{Main article|Flag of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast}}
[[File:Flag of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast.svg|thumb|150px|[[Flag of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast]]]]

Another variation of rainbow flag is used by [[Jewish Autonomous Oblast]], situated in the [[Far Eastern Federal District]] of Russia, by the Chinese border. Proportions 2:3. Adopted first of October 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flags-of-the-world.net/flags/ru-yev.html |title=Jewish Autonomous Region (Russia) |website=flags-of-the-world.net |access-date=2007-08-21 |archive-date=2012-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208081848/http://www.flags-of-the-world.net/flags/ru-yev.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Jewish Autonomous Oblast]] has a flag with a seven-colour rainbow. The number of colours is meant to symbolize the seven-branched Jewish [[Menorah (Temple)|Menorah]]. Its colours are slightly different from the basic spectral colours, with gold in place of yellow, vivid blue instead of light blue, and indigo as dark blue.<ref>{{cite web |title=Символика |url=http://www.eao.ru/o-eao/simvolika--1/ |publisher=Official State Portal of Jewish Autonomous Oblast |access-date=10 June 2020 |language=ru |trans-title=Geraldics |archive-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608173925/http://www.eao.ru/o-eao/simvolika--1/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2013, the flag was checked according to the [[Russian gay propaganda law]]. JAO flag was confirmed as safe because of white background, white borders to the stripes and the seventh (light blue) colour.<ref>{{cite web |title=Флаг ЕАО проверили на наличие гей-пропаганды |url=https://www.5-tv.ru/news/77340/ |access-date=10 June 2020 |language=ru |date=30 October 2013|trans-title=JAO flag checked for gay propaganda}}</ref>

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===Infection prevention thorough declaration sticker (2020)===
{{Main|COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo#Infection prevention thorough declaration sticker}}
The [[Tokyo Metropolitan Government]] issued the "Thorough Infection Prevention Declaration Sticker" for the purpose of working on the infection spread prevention guidelines for businesses formulated by the metropolitan government.<ref name="Impress Corp-2020" /> In the media, it is also known as the rainbow sticker.<ref name="Nihon Keizai Shimbun-2020">{{Cite web|title=「虹のステッカー」実効性は？ 掲示店で集団感染も|url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO62604630T10C20A8CZ8000/|website=日本経済新聞 電子版|accessdate=2020-08-13|language=ja}}</ref> A checklist that businesses should take to prevent the spread of infection is checked on the web and issued online, and it is used as a guideline to show that businesses are working on infection prevention measures.<ref name="Impress Corp-2020">{{Cite web|title=東京都、「感染防止徹底宣言ステッカー」発行|url=https://www.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1258801.html|website=Impress Watch|date=2020-06-12|accessdate=2020-08-13|language=ja|last=株式会社インプレス}}</ref>

===Support for the NHS (2020)===
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|2020 coronavirus pandemic]] in the United Kingdom, the rainbow symbol has been used to signify support and gratitude for the [[National Health Service]] (NHS).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-52542923|title=Coronavirus: Rainbow portraits thank the NHS|website=[[BBC]]|date=10 May 2020|access-date=22 May 2020|archive-date=24 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524080425/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-52542923|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the increasing association of the six-color [[Rainbow flag (LGBT)|Pride rainbow flag]] with the NHS has caused concern among some members of the LGBT community that it is being disassociated "as a symbol of LGBT equality" and may lead to the erasure of identity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52724818|title=Coronavirus: 'I was attacked for hanging my rainbow flag'|website=[[BBC]]|date=22 May 2020|access-date=22 May 2020|archive-date=22 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522002433/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52724818|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Wareham|first1=Jamie|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiewareham/2020/05/06/should-the-lgbt-community-call-out-nhs-appropriation-of-rainbow-flag/#3f3cefdad544|title=Why Some LGBT+ People Feel Uneasy At The Sight Of NHS Rainbow Flags|magazine=[[Forbes]]|date=May 6, 2020|access-date=22 May 2020|archive-date=20 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520040315/https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiewareham/2020/05/06/should-the-lgbt-community-call-out-nhs-appropriation-of-rainbow-flag/#3f3cefdad544|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Other rainbow flags==
<!--Files not used in body of article.-->
<gallery>
File:Flag of Buddhism.svg|[[Buddhist flag]]<ref>{{cite web |title=The Origin and Meaning of the Buddhist Flag |url=http://buddhistcouncilofqueensland.org/node/143 |website=Buddhist Council of Queensland |access-date=2 July 2022 |date=2010 |archive-date=25 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225034131/http://buddhistcouncilofqueensland.org/node/143 |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:Druze star.svg|[[Druze star]]
File:Civil flag of Jabal ad-Druze (1921-1936).svg|Civil flag of [[Jabal ad-Druze]] (1921-1936)
File:Flag of Druze.svg|Flag of the [[Druze people]]
File:Bandeira de Foz do Jordão PR.svg|[[Foz do Jordão]] municipality flag, Brazil
File:Gay flag 8.svg|[[Gay pride]] flag<br />(original eight-color version, June 1978)
File:Gay flag 7.svg|Gay pride flag<br />(seven-color version, November 1978)
File:GreekRainbowPeaceFlag.svg|Greek peace flag ([[Eirene (goddess)|Eirene]])
File:Hallum vlag.svg|[[Hallum]], Netherlands, village flag
File:LGBTQ+ rainbow flag Quasar "Progress" variant.svg|[[Daniel Quasar|Progress Pride]] flag denoting queer and transgender people, and LGBT+ black and brown people of color (2018)
File:Flag of Lingua Franca Nova.svg|[[Lingua Franca Nova]] flag
File:PACE flag (without text).svg|PACE flag without text
File:Flag of Santa Cruz County, California.svg|[[Santa Cruz County, California]], flag
File:Flag of South Africa.svg|The [[South Africa]]n flag commonly called the "Rainbow Flag" because of its 6 colours
File:Flag of West Hollywood, California.svg|[[West Hollywood, California]], city flag
File:Flag of Whittier, California.svg|[[Whittier, California]], city flag
File:Flag of China (1912–1928).svg|Republic of China flag (1912–1928)
File:Peace Congress flag.svg|[[Flag_of_Earth#World_Peace_Flag_of_Earth_(1913)|World Peace Flag of Earth]] (1913), proposed by James William van Kirk{{citation needed|date=June 2024|reason=Wikipedia:Verifiability}}
</gallery>

==Use of rainbow flag in various settings==
<gallery>
File:Christopher Street Day 1997.jpg|Marchers carry the LGBT pride flag at the [[pride parade]] on [[Christopher Street Day]], Berlin, Germany (1997)
File:Warszawa.ParadaRówności2006.5432.jpg|Parada Równości, Warsaw, Poland (2006)
File:Bandiere della pace a Milano 2003.jpg|"Pace da tutti i balconi": peace flags hanging from windows, [[Milan]], Italy, (March 2003)
File:2007-04 Stolberg (Harz) 58.jpg|Statue of [[Thomas Müntzer]] waving a rainbow banner, [[Stolberg, Saxony-Anhalt|Stolberg]], Germany (2007)
File:Gay Beach-Ipanema-Rio de Janeiro Brazil.jpg|LGBT flag at [[Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro|Ipanema Beach]], [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil (2006)
File:Gilbert Baker-Paris.jpg|French official Memorial to [[Gilbert Baker (artist)|Gilbert Baker]], [[Place des Émeutes-de-Stonewall|Place des Emeutes de Stonewall]], Paris, [[Le Marais]], France
File:Rainbow flag finishes its walk across America for the Equality Act.jpg|Finish line of "Civil Rights Walk Across America" by Richard Noble, [[Jacksonville]], Florida (2012)
</gallery>

==Flags containing a rainbow design==
<gallery>
File:Flag of Nicaragua.svg|[[Flag of Nicaragua]]
File:Flag of El Salvador.svg|[[Flag of El Salvador]]
</gallery>

==Use of rainbow flag colors in different designs==
<gallery>
File:Патриоты России.jpg|[[Patriots of Russia]], 2005–2013
File:Stockholm Pride 2015 - Pride Park 21 by Jonatan Svensson Glad.JPG|Jewish Gay Pride flag ([[Stockholm Pride]], Sweden, 2015)
File:USA Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender flag.svg|[[Flag of the United States|American flag]] in Gay Pride colors
File:Lgbt healthcare symbol.jpg|LGBT health awareness
File:Rainbow Gathering welcome road sign.jpg|[[Rainbow Family]] of Living Light banner
File:Wu-Wo_Rainbow.jpg|Circular Rainbow Flag of Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony
File:We the People Say No to the Bush Agenda by David Shankbone.jpg|Rainbow protest flag used by [[Not in Our Name]]
File:Kansen bōshi tettei sengen sticker Tokyo.jpg|Thorough Infection Prevention Declaration Sticker ([[Tokyo]] Metropolitan Government)
<!-- Deleted image removed: File:Peaceflag English.jpg|The peace flag in English -->
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Rainbows in culture]]

==References==
{{Commons}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Heraldry}}
{{Portal bar|Heraldry|LGBTQ}}


[[Category:Rainbow flags| ]]
[[Category:Activism flags]]
[[Category:Peace symbols]]
[[Category:Types of flags]]
[[Category:Horizontally symmetrical flags]]