Original rainbow flag
Eight stripes: pink for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony and violet for spirit.
History & Culture Quiz
Bing Pride Month Quiz – How Much Do You Know About Pride Month?
From a June night at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 to celebrations on every continent, test what you know about the history, symbols and trailblazers behind Pride Month. Every right answer raises a stripe on the original 1978 rainbow flag.
Start the quiz →Every June, cities around the world fill with parades, festivals, film screenings, talks and community gatherings. Pride Month honors the history and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other LGBTQ+ people, and it marks the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, which began in New York City in the early hours of June 28, 1969.
Pride did not begin as a party. The first marches in 1970 were acts of protest and remembrance, and many of the rights and symbols we associate with Pride today were hard-won over decades. This Bing Pride Month Quiz walks through that story. Eight history questions each raise a stripe of Gilbert Baker’s original eight-color rainbow flag, and four flag-identification questions test your knowledge of Pride symbols. The guide below covers key dates, flags, trailblazers and how Pride is celebrated around the world.
About this article: this is an independent, educational quiz focused on history and culture. Laws, customs and the timing of Pride events differ from country to country, and the information here reflects sources available at the time of writing. It is not affiliated with Microsoft, Bing or any Pride organization.
1969Stonewall uprising in New York City
1970First Pride marches on the uprising’s anniversary
1978Gilbert Baker’s rainbow flag first flies in San Francisco
1999First U.S. presidential proclamation of Pride Month
The quiz
Take the Bing Pride Month Quiz
Questions 1–8 cover Pride history. Each correct answer raises a stripe of the original 1978 rainbow flag and reveals what that color was meant to symbolize. Questions 9–12 ask you to identify Pride flags. One point per correct answer, 12 in total.
Ready to raise the flag?
Twelve questions about the history and symbols of Pride.
- Eight history questions build Gilbert Baker’s original flag
- Four flag-identification questions follow
- An explanation after every answer
Origins
Why Is Pride Month Celebrated in June?
In the 1960s, police raids on gay bars were common in the United States. In the early hours of June 28, 1969, a raid on the Stonewall Inn, a bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village, sparked several nights of protest by patrons and neighborhood residents. The Stonewall uprising is widely seen as a turning point that energized the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
One year later, on June 28, 1970, activists marked the anniversary with the Christopher Street Liberation Day march in New York, while related marches took place in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Activist Brenda Howard, a key organizer of the New York march, is often called the “Mother of Pride” for helping turn a single day into a week of events, which eventually grew into the month-long observance known today.
In the United States, President Bill Clinton issued the first presidential proclamation of “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month” on June 11, 1999, and later presidents have issued proclamations in some years. In 2016, the Stonewall Inn area was designated Stonewall National Monument, the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history.
Key dates
A Timeline of Pride History
- 1950
The Mattachine Society
One of the earliest gay rights organizations in the U.S. is founded in Los Angeles. In 1955, the Daughters of Bilitis follows as an early lesbian rights group.
- 1969
The Stonewall uprising
Protests erupt after a police raid on the Stonewall Inn in New York City, beginning on June 28.
- 1970
The first Pride marches
The Christopher Street Liberation Day march and other events mark Stonewall’s first anniversary.
- 1973
A change in psychiatry
The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.
- 1978
The rainbow flag
Gilbert Baker’s eight-stripe flag first flies at San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day on June 25.
- 1990
A global milestone
On May 17, the World Health Organization removes homosexuality from its International Classification of Diseases. The date later becomes the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.
- 1994
LGBT History Month
Missouri teacher Rodney Wilson proposes an October history month in the U.S., later adopted in other countries too.
- 1999
A presidential proclamation
Bill Clinton becomes the first U.S. president to proclaim June as Pride Month.
- 2000
The first WorldPride
Rome hosts the first international WorldPride celebration.
- 2001
Marriage equality begins
On April 1, the Netherlands becomes the first country to legalize same-sex marriage.
- 2015
Obergefell v. Hodges
On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.
- 2016
Stonewall National Monument
President Barack Obama designates the first U.S. national monument to LGBTQ+ history on June 24.
- 2026
WorldPride Amsterdam
Amsterdam hosts WorldPride from July 25 to August 8, 2026, 25 years after Dutch marriage equality.
Symbols1978 · Gilbert Baker Late 1970s 2018 · Daniel Quasar 1999 · Monica Helms 1998 · Michael Page 2013 · Morgan Carpenter 2010 2014
A Guide to Pride Flags
The rainbow flag is the best-known symbol of Pride, but many communities within the LGBTQ+ umbrella have their own flags. Here are some of the most widely recognized.
Six-stripe rainbow
Hot pink and turquoise were dropped, partly because they were costly to produce, creating the familiar six-color version.
Progress Pride flag
Adds a chevron of black and brown stripes, building on a 2017 Philadelphia design, plus the colors of the transgender flag.
Transgender flag
Light blue, pink and white. The pattern reads the same from either direction, reflecting finding one’s own path.
Bisexual flag
Magenta, lavender and royal blue, with the purple band representing the overlap between the two.
Intersex flag
A purple circle on yellow, colors chosen because they are not traditionally linked to gender.
Asexual flag
Black, gray, white and purple, chosen through a community process.
Nonbinary flag
Yellow, white, purple and black stripes representing different experiences of gender.
Fun fact: a 10-by-28-foot fragment of the original 1978 rainbow flag, kept by Gilbert Baker for decades, was rediscovered and returned to San Francisco’s GLBT Historical Society Museum in 2021.
Trailblazers1945–1992 1951–2002 1946–2005 1930–1978 1951–2017 1912–1987 1929–2017 1912–1954
Trailblazers Every Quiz-Taker Should Know
Marsha P. Johnson
A Black transgender activist and prominent figure in the Stonewall era who co-founded STAR, a group supporting homeless LGBTQ+ youth.
Sylvia Rivera
A Latina transgender activist who co-founded STAR with Johnson in 1970 and campaigned for those often left out of the movement.
Brenda Howard
A bisexual activist known as the “Mother of Pride” for organizing the 1970 anniversary march and related events.
Harvey Milk
Took office on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors in 1978 as one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S. He was assassinated later that year.
Gilbert Baker
Artist and activist who designed the rainbow flag in 1978 and chose not to trademark it, so anyone could use it.
Bayard Rustin
A key organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.
Edith Windsor
The plaintiff in United States v. Windsor (2013), which struck down a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act.
Alan Turing
The British mathematician and code-breaker, convicted under past anti-gay laws, received a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 and appears on the Bank of England £50 note.
GlobalFeb–Mar Usually June Late June Summer Early August May 17
Pride Around the World
Although June is Pride Month in the United States and many other places, Pride events happen year-round. Dates often depend on local history, climate and season.
Sydney, Australia
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras began in 1978 and is held in late summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
São Paulo, Brazil
The São Paulo Pride Parade is regularly described as one of the largest Pride events in the world.
New York City, U.S.
The NYC Pride March continues the tradition of the 1970 march that marked Stonewall’s anniversary.
London, U.K.
Pride in London draws huge crowds; the U.K. also marks LGBT+ History Month in February.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Famous for its Canal Parade of decorated boats. The city hosts WorldPride in 2026.
Worldwide
The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia is observed in many countries.
Take part
Ways to Learn About and Take Part in Pride
- Learn the historyRead about Stonewall, early activists and how rights changed over time in different countries.
- Visit a museum or landmarkPlaces such as Stonewall National Monument and the GLBT Historical Society Museum tell these stories firsthand.
- Attend a local eventParades, film festivals, panels and library talks are often open to everyone.
- Listen to personal storiesMemoirs, documentaries and oral histories bring individual experiences to life.
- Use respectful languageUsing the names and terms people use for themselves is a simple form of respect.
- Support community groupsLocal centers and youth organizations often welcome volunteers year-round.
Looking for something lighter? Try our Daily Quiz on Pop Culture for movies, music and celebrities, or keep up with current events through the Daily News Headline Quiz.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Bing Pride Month Quiz?
It is a free, 12-question educational quiz about the history, symbols and notable figures of Pride Month, with an explanation after every answer. It is independent and not affiliated with Microsoft, Bing or any Pride organization.
Why is Pride Month in June?
It commemorates the Stonewall uprising, which began on June 28, 1969, in New York City. The first Pride marches were held on its anniversary in June 1970.
Who created the rainbow Pride flag?
Artist and activist Gilbert Baker designed it in 1978. It first flew at San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day on June 25, 1978, with eight colored stripes.
What do the colors of the original rainbow flag mean?
Pink for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony and violet for spirit.
When was Pride Month first officially recognized in the U.S.?
President Bill Clinton issued the first presidential proclamation of Gay and Lesbian Pride Month on June 11, 1999.
Is LGBT History Month the same as Pride Month?
No. In the U.S., LGBT History Month is observed in October and was proposed in 1994 by teacher Rodney Wilson. The U.K. observes its LGBT+ History Month in February.
Sources & Further Reading
- Library of Congress – Pride Month: History and Overview
- National Park Service – Designation of Stonewall National Monument (2016)
- Smithsonian Magazine – Fragment of the first rainbow flag returns to San Francisco
- KCUR – The Missouri teacher who founded LGBT History Month
- WorldPride – host cities and history
- Pride flag – designers and history