Created by Michael Page in collaboration with others at BiNet USA on 5 December 1998.
Unveiled at BiCafe’s first Anniversary Party
Definition
“Someone who is sexually attracted to more than one / two or more genders, but not necessarily all possible genders. Bisexuality was historically understood as people who are sexually attracted to “both men and women,” but with our growing understanding of gender and its possible manifestations, the definition of bisexuality has grown to encompass not only its historical meaning, but also a wide range of experiences.”
– The Transgender Language Primer. See the full bisexual definition.
Style Guide
This flag has 3 horizontal stripes which are colored (top to bottom) pink 40%, purple 20%, and blue 40%
Official specification:
Color distribution:
From the top down: 40% Pink – 20% Purple – 40% Blue
PMS:
PMS 226 (pink), PMS 258 (purple), PMS 286 (blue)
RGB:
Pink = 214(red) 2(green) 112(blue).
Purple = 155(red) 79(green) 150(blue).
Blue = 0(red) 56(green) 168(blue).
For web designers, that works out to:
#D60270 (pink), #9B4F96 (purple) and #0038A8 (blue).
CMYK for printing:
Use the CMYK values your graphic program selects for each of the PMS keys indicated above. Or provide your printer with the PMS keys instead.
Creator Meaning
The pink stripe represents sexual attraction to the same sex only. The blue stripe represents sexual attraction to the opposite sex only. The purple stripe, the blend of both these colors, represents sexual attraction to both sexes.
Current Community Meaning
How we think about gender and bisexuality has shifted greatly in the last 20 years. The current community meaning for this flag is:
The pink stripe represents attraction to women and fem people. The purple stripe represents attraction to nonbinary people. The blue stripe represents attraction to men and masc people.
About the Creator
Michael Page is a Florida based bisexual activist, creator of BiCafe (now closed) and BiNet USA volunteer.
Sources
Archive: “History of the Bi Pride Flag” by Michael Page
“17 thank-you notes to the creators of the bisexual flag” by
Charlie Mathers on Gay Star News