“Democrats are calling to redesign the American Flag to make it more inclusive” by featuring rainbow colored stripes.
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Democrats are not trying to ‘redesign’ the American flag. Photo is an image from a 2015 protest
If Your Time is short
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PolitiFact found no evidence — in news reports and Nexis news archives — that Democrats are calling for the American flag to be redesigned.
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The photo included in the post is from a 2015 protest for the legalization of gay marriage. It is not a proposed new flag.
Are the stars and stripes getting a multicolored makeover?
Some social media users said the classic red, white and blue banner could be on the chopping block: "Democrats are calling to redesign the American Flag to make it more inclusive," said a May 3 X post that is being screenshotted and reshared on Facebook.
The viral post includes a photo of a massive flag with pale pink stars and rainbow stripes.
(Screenshot of X post)
But the featured image is not part of a "redesign." The photo was taken in 2015 at a protest. After searching for news reports and reviewing Nexis news archives, PolitiFact found no evidence of such calls for a redesign of the American flag by Democrats.
The Facebook posts were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Our star-spangled banner has been the same since July 4, 1960, when Hawaii was incorporated as a state. With 50 stars for the 50 states and red and white stripes representing valor and innocence, the flag has become an iconic symbol of patriotism and fodder for misinformation. (We do a lot of flag fact-checks!)
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Despite some state flag redesigns and calls from specific individuals such as singer Macy Gray for a more inclusive design, the American flag has not been altered — nor are Democrats calling for it now.
The American flag shown in the viral post blends the structure of the American flag with the colored stripes of the LGBTQ+ pride flag. Protesters carried it outside the U.S. Supreme Court almost a decade ago during the fight to legalize gay marriage.
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It is not uncommon for movements to use an altered image of the American flag to make a political statement. For example, black-and-white flags featuring one blue stripe are often used to signal support for law enforcement.
We rate the claim that "Democrats are calling to redesign the American Flag to make it more inclusive" by featuring rainbow colored stripes False.
Our Sources
X post, May 3, 2024
Facebook post (archived), May 5, 2024
Facebook video, May 5, 2024
Getty Images, "US Court Gay Marriage Rights March," April 25, 2015
Google Search, "american flag redesign," accessed May 6, 2024
USA.gov, "The American flag and other national symbols," Dec. 29, 2023
PolitiFact, "No, US flag code wasn’t violated when the progress pride flag was displayed at the White House," June 11, 2023
PolitiFact, "No, the black and white flag for police solidarity does not violate flag code," June 25, 2021
PolitiFact, "Gold fringe on the US flag means the Constitution is suspended? That’s a fringe theory," June 26, 2023
PolitiFact, "It’s Pride Month, but the United Nations didn’t replace its country flags with LGBTQ+ flags," June 16, 2023
The New York Times, "How States Are Threading the Needle on Flag Design," Aug. 17, 2023
The Hollywood Reporter, "Macy Gray Calls for Update of American Flag: "One That Represents All States and All Of Us"," June 19, 2021
Human Rights Campaign, "LGBTQ+ Pride Flags," accessed May 6, 2024
NPR, "Thin Blue Line Flags Stir Controversy In Mass. Coastal Community," July 31, 2020
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Democrats are not trying to ‘redesign’ the American flag. Photo is an image from a 2015 protest
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