East Falls comes out in full color for the Philly Pride Flag
As a helicopter circled above Ridge and Midvale, dozens of East Falls neighbors spilled into the intersection below, helping to hold up a 600-foot Philly Pride Flag—the version of the iconic rainbow design that adds black and brown stripes to center people of color in the LGBTQ+ community.
The banner stretched across the street like a living rainbow, flanked by cheering, waving neighbors. It was part of a record-setting parade organized by Philly Pride 365, with the flag traveling through more than a dozen neighborhoods in a single day—marking the city’s biggest Pride kickoff yet.
The energy was joyful, even electric. And woven into that fabric was a deeper truth—about what it means to be seen, and who gets to feel safe being visible.
A Flag Born From Protest ✊
Unveiled in 2017 as part of the city’s “More Color More Pride” campaign, the Philly Pride Flag added two stripes—black and brown—to the top of the iconic six-color rainbow. It wasn’t a branding move or a design refresh. It was a response to something painful.
A year earlier, reporting by journalist Ernest Owens and others exposed long-standing racism in Philadelphia’s Gayborhood: discriminatory dress codes at bars, lack of representation in leadership, and a pattern of exclusion that many Black and brown LGBTQ+ Philadelphians had been voicing for years. The new flag was a way to honor that struggle—and to mark a turning point.
“We were not popular. It was not sexy, it was not glamorous,” Owens later told the Inquirer. “People forget that the flag was inspired by a small group of rebels and Black queer people that just really wanted to speak out against something that was impacting their lives.”
Amber Hikes, then-director of the city’s Office of LGBT Affairs, helped lead the campaign. For her, the flag was about more than inclusion. It was about recognition. “How are we going to signify this time?” she asked. “What is something concrete—a symbol—to mark this progress and these 30-plus years of conversation and advocacy?”
A City Makes a Statement
Not everyone welcomed the change. Some argued that the original rainbow already represented unity and diversity. But for many, the pushback only reinforced the point: that racism was alive even in spaces meant to be safe for all.
The flag took off anyway.
Soon, cities around the world adopted the Philly version. It’s since inspired further iterations, like the Progress Pride Flag, which builds on Philly’s design with a chevron of trans colors and additional stripes honoring those lost to HIV/AIDS.
But it all started here—with a city choosing to name injustice, and uplift the communities too often left out of the Pride narrative.
Pride in Every Block
The flag that rolled through East Falls last week was a logistical marvel: 600 feet of color carried by hundreds of volunteers across a dozen neighborhoods. But it was also a symbol of how far we’ve come—and how far we still have to go.
Visibility matters, especially now. In a year where anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is on the rise across the country, when many trans and queer youth report feeling less safe, even a simple act like holding up a flag can be powerful.
And it can be beautiful. 😍
In East Falls, the vibrant stripes rippled across Midvale, flanked by historic buildings that have witnessed more than a century of progress — before a river that’s been flowing for millennia. Everywhere you looked: smiling faces, waving flags, community.
What a fitting symbol of joy and endurance! There’s nothing we can’t accomplish—when we carry the weight together.
For more information on Pride events and how to get involved, visit Philly Pride 365.
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