Alternate Genderqueer Flag
[Pt: Alternate Genderqueer Flag]
I'm not a big fan of the most commonly used genderqueer flag (the lavender, white, green one), for a few reasons:
It's very similar to the UK suffragette flag, which is commonly used by TERFs to signal their trans exclusionism in the modern day, to the extent that emojis in those colors (🟪⬜🟩) are commonly used in the bios of TERFs online.
The common genderqueer flag focuses on one specific type of genderqueer person (people who fit the definition of nonbinary), rather than broadly including all people whose gender identity, modality, or expression exists outside cultural expectations.
I'm not a huge fan of how the colors look together, though this is much less important than my other concerns.
As a genderqueer person, I wanted to make a genderqueer flag that is more inclusive, less easily confused with symbols adopted by TERFs, and (according to my own preferences) more visually appealing. I put a lot of thought into it, so here's a breakdown of the symbolism behind the stripes.
Lavender represents queerness and the epicene. Lavender is traditionally used to represent LGBTQ+ people, representing queerness. It is also a shade of purple (a combination of red/pink and blue, commonly gendered colors), representing the epicene (people whose identity, self expression, or sex cannot be strictly distinguished as either male or female, masculine or feminine).
This stripe is included at both the top and bottom of the flag, signaling its double meaning, as well as showing that everything between these stripes is encompassed by them.
Blue represents subversive masculinity. Blue is commonly used as a "masculine" color, and is used here to represent masculinity which subverts the expectations placed upon a person due to the circumstances of their birth or development. This includes masculine women, butches, transmasculine people, and anyone else whose masculinity defies the societal expectations placed on them.
White represents transition and inclusion. The white stripe in the trans flag represents the process of transitioning, among other things. In this flag, "transition" can refer to medical transition, social transition, or even just acknowledging to yourself that you're trans. White is also the combination of all light, representing inclusion. This stripe is used twice to signal its double meaning, but its placement among the other stripes was simply chosen for aesthetic reasons.
Yellow represents breaking the binary. Yellow is the opposite of purple (representing the binary in this case, rather than epicenity), showing a rejection or subversion of the gender and/or sex binary. This includes nonbinary people, altersex people, and intersex people whose intersex experience has impacted or "queered" their (relationship to) gender. This stripe was also heavily inspired by the use of yellow in the nonbinary and intersex flags.
Pink represents subversive femininity. Pink is commonly used as a "feminine" color, and is used here to represent femininity which subverts the expectations placed upon a person due to the circumstances of their birth or development. This includes feminine men, femmes, transfeminine people, and anyone else whose femininity defies the societal expectations placed on them.
This flag is public domain, and anyone is free to use it for any reason!
Edit: Added a darker version for those who may prefer it!
