Is the official U.S. Flag Code flexible enough to allow for the alteration of its colors and the placement of its stars and stripes? According to a viral post circulating on both Instagram and Threads, the stars, stripes, and colors of the flag can be tweaked to mimic a transgender pride flag while keeping the flag U.S. Code compliant.
The post is false: Precise design requirements for the American flag—including colors, placement of the blue field and stars, and dimensions for the stripes—are laid out in Title 4 of the U.S. Code, and technical details are listed further in federal specification DDD-F-416F.
The modern American flag finds its roots in the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the admissions of Alaska and Hawaii as U.S. states. A January 1959 executive order established the design of a 49-star flag recognizing Alaska’s statehood, and in April 1959 an additional executive order was drafted outlining the future design of a 50-star flag recognizing Hawaii. This 50-star flag, which would have “thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white, and a union consisting of white stars on a field of blue,” flew for the first time on July 4, 1960.
Alongside determining the dimensions and layout of the flag, federal standards also specify three different colors for use in the American flag—white, Old Glory Blue, and Old Glory Red—all of which are detailed in The Standard Color Reference of America. These standards also include numerous other details including official fabric materials, the application of stars, and the flags’ headings.
If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@thedispatch.com. If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@thedispatch.com.
Please note that we at The Dispatch hold ourselves, our work, and our commenters to a higher standard than other places on the internet. We welcome comments that foster genuine debate or discussion—including comments critical of us or our work—but responses that include ad hominem attacks on fellow Dispatch members or are intended to stoke fear and anger may be moderated.
With your membership, you only have the ability to comment on The Morning Dispatch articles. Consider upgrading to join the conversation everywhere.