so, many months ago i sent an anonymous ask to @satanfemme requesting a matching butch flag to hys femme flag, and hys response was that hy didn't feel comfortable making it due to not being a butch hymself ─ but that i (or any other butch) could make one if we wanted to!! and that's exactly what i did. hopefully i remember to include all of the thoughts i wanted to put down.
to OP, assuming you see this: i'm going to copy your post format, as the point is for it to match and that the flag is based off of yours. if you are uncomfortable with anything or you would like me to change/delete something, please let me know and i will be happy to communicate effectively!! :)
^^ i'd also like to note that i acknowledge your blog is 18+. at the time of this post, i am 17. i hope that this sort of contact can be counted as an exception. i won't follow you, or interact with any of your other posts. but i'd still like to respect your wishes as best as i can. give me a heads-up if there's anything else i should be aware of, thanks.
[ID: an image of a butch pride flag. the flag conists of three horizontal stripes: light purple, dark purple, and light blue. in the top left corner is a lemon-meringue colored heart.]
💜 butch pride flag 💜
meaning & design:
to start off, it was unintentional that the colors are slightly more muted than its femme counterpart. however, i decided i liked that because femmes (as far as i know) aren't typically seen as bold and bright, but rather shy and quiet. i wanted to give them that spotlight in this flag set by constrasting their warm palette with a cool one. i also wanted to portray butches as being smitten as we sit back and fondly adore femmes from the sideline. besides, the true nature of a butch/femme dynamic is private and intimate, and we can show our pride while still reserving the most of it for our lovers.
with that being said ─
"masculinity and gender non-conformity" should be self-explanatory. butchness is about challenging the expectations of womanhood especially, but any sense of expectations in a world ruled by gender roles. it also is built by its own unique characteristics of masculinity in such a queer and personal way. it is more obviously a "deviation from the norm" on the outside from femmeness, but that doesn't make it in any way more or less important to the identity.
"healing" derives from the original rainbow pride flag, and was something yet again inspired by the original post. my interpretation is that i've always heard, and now experienced for myself, how healing coming into one's true nature and fitting into the right body after realizing one is butch. the freedom of short or buzzcut hair, the comfort of casual clothes, and euphoria of the right hoodie or jacket, the embracing of a more masculine name, the honor of fulfilling a legacy, the music of a keychain jiggling in our pockets, the drilling sound of worker tools, etc. and anything else that butches throughout time and history have claimed makes them feel proud of themselves in ways that they never did before.
"protectiveness" refers to the role that butches play in our relationships. our story has collectively been built on our compatability with femmes, for whom we treat as a gentleman, knight, or otherwise a rank in loving servitude should. many of us aspire to be a prince rescuing our princess lovers from trouble, like in the fantasy books. it is a mutual agreement between us butches and our femmes that we look out for each other, and that's part of what defines who we are in this queer subculture.
lastly, the flower represents "passion." there is no butch who has ever lived without it. being butch requires the will to carry a reputation, a legacy, a love, a pride. otherwise, what's the point? this, and an eternal passion to exist for the eyes of femmes and the community of other butches. it's what makes the identity whole. it's one of the petals that make the flower pretty.
and here are the rest of the flag designs!! in order, top to bottom + left to right: female, male, lesbian/sapphic, gay, bi, alt bi, trans, bear, leather
