Achillean Flag

Overview

To provide an umbrella symbol for men-loving-men relationships that was not limited to a gay-men-only framing, and to ground that symbol in historical Queer male iconography through the green carnation emblem. ^[1][2]

Tumblr user asculan (later semituring) coined and popularized the term 'achillean' on June 13, 2016 as the male-attracted-to-male counterpart to 'sapphic.' ^[3][4] A community poll favored the term, and it spread rapidly. ^[3] Tumblr user pridenpositivity posted the original Achillean flag on June 23, 2016, creating the flag design separately from asculan's coining of the term. ^[5][3][4] DeviantArt user Pride-Flags redesigned the flag on October 5, 2016, with the redesign carried out by Mod Face, Mod Hermy, and an anonymous user, producing the version now in widest circulation; a simplified carnation variant was posted on September 29, 2016. ^[5][4] The Pride-Color-Schemes Tumblr blog documented the design on June 24, 2017, which was previously treated as its earliest public appearance. ^[1] The word 'achillean' itself has deeper roots: the ancient Greek poet Theocritus (3rd century BC) used a phrase translatable as 'be Achillean friends to each other' in a love poem between men, and the Victorian scholar John Addington Symonds used 'Achilleian friendship' in his privately printed A Problem in Greek Ethics (1883) to describe an ideal of 'powerful and masculine emotion.' ^[3]

Identity & Context

Represented Identity

achillean / men loving men

Subcommunity

men-loving-men umbrella (broader than gay-men-only labeling)

Distinct from gay-men-only labeling: achillean can be used more broadly by men-aligned or male-loving-male identities.

Creators

The Creator

Origin

Digital Origin

Tumblr (Pride-Color-Schemes / ask-pride-color-schemes)

Digital origin; no verified physical location.

Documented in the Pride-Color-Schemes Tumblr circulation. ^[1] Exact origin and designer are uncertain. ^[2]

Dates & Chronology

Year Created

2016

First public use

2016

Period in Use

2016–present

The flag circulated through Tumblr and pride-flag reference sites following its 2017 documentation. It has been included in some institutional pride flag guides, such as the University of British Columbia's Equity & Inclusion Office resource page. ^[6] Its adoption has been more modest than the striped gay men flags (the 7-stripe and 5-stripe designs), which offer a more conventional stripe-only format that is easier to reproduce on merchandise and physical flags. The carnation emblem gives the Achillean flag a distinctive appearance but limits its use in contexts where emblems are impractical. ^[2]

Major revisions

1. 2016-09-29

   A simplified carnation version was posted, since detailed carnations proved difficult to scale down. ^[5]

2. 2016-10-05

   DeviantArt user Pride-Flags redesigned the flag, with the redesign carried out by Mod Face, Mod Hermy, and an anonymous user, producing the version now in widest circulation. ^[5][4]

3. 2020-07-01

   Twitter user CatColors created alternate versions using a blue rose emblem for those who prefer not to use the 'achillean' term. ^[3]

The green carnation at the flag's center references a symbol with deep roots in male-male Queer culture. Oscar Wilde reportedly imported the fashion from Paris, where green carnations (produced by plunging a white carnation into malachite dye) were already worn among 'inverts.' Wilde instructed friends to wear them to the February 20, 1892 London premiere of Lady Windermere's Fan. According to painter W. Graham Robertson's memoir, Wilde said: 'I want a good many men to wear them tomorrow, it will annoy the public.' When asked what the flower meant, Wilde replied: 'Nothing whatever, but that is just what nobody will guess.' ^[7] Robert Hichens's anonymous 1894 novel The Green Carnation satirized Wilde's circle; the book was withdrawn after Wilde's 1895 trial and was used as evidence against him. ^[7] Noel Coward revived the symbol in his 1929 operetta Bitter Sweet, whose song '(We All Wear a) Green Carnation' included the double-entendre lyric 'We are the reason for the '90s being gay.' ^[7] At the 2021 Met Gala, Elliot Page wore a green flower on his lapel in his first red-carpet appearance after coming out as transgender, widely interpreted as a nod to the Wilde tradition. ^[7] The Achillean flag forms a loose conceptual pair with the Sapphic flag: both serve as umbrella flags for their respective communities (men-loving-men and women-loving-women) and both incorporate a floral emblem (the green carnation for achillean, and violets or roses for sapphic). ^[2]

Lineage

Indirect influences

Rainbow Pride Flag, Sapphic Flag

Direct children

Achillean Pride Flag (2016 Redesign)

Related flags

Diamoric Pride Flag, Gay Men's Pride Flag (Seven-Stripe), Gay Men's Pride Flag (Five-Stripe)

An umbrella-neighbor to the striped gay men flag lineage, not a direct ancestor or descendant. The Achillean and Sapphic flags form a loose conceptual pair as umbrella flags for men-loving-men and women-loving-women respectively, though they are separate designs with separate origins.

Lineage tree

Every record reachable from this one through documented parent and child relationships: 2 records across 2 generations.

This record

Achillean Flag

Children

Achillean Pride Flag (2016 Redesign)

Colors & Symbolism

An emblem-bearing umbrella flag for men-loving-men identity that derives most of its symbolic weight from the central green carnation rather than from its stripe palette. The carnation anchors the flag in a documented lineage of historical Queer male culture stretching from Oscar Wilde's circle in the 1890s through Noel Coward's 1929 operetta to contemporary revivals, giving the design a depth of historical reference unusual among modern identity flags. The stripe palette is secondary and its meaning less settled across sources. ^[1][2]

Circulating community values from reference sites

This flag has no official digital palette. Color values shown are approximate.

Green carnation

Achillean love and historical male-male affiliation symbolism, referencing the Oscar Wilde tradition.

Stripe meaning phrasing varies across sources. The green carnation is the most consistently documented symbolic element. ^{[1] [2]}

No official creator-published hex specification. The values given are drawn from widely circulating community reference sites. Carnation color values are approximate.

Design

Aspect Ratio

3:5 · standard

Orientation

horizontal

Stripe Count

3

Layout

horizontal_stripes_with_emblem

Stripes (Top → Bottom)

Light Blue, Pale Near-White, Light Blue

Center Symbol

Green carnation

Three equal horizontal bands: light blue, pale near-white, and light blue, with a green carnation emblem centered on the flag. No additional symbols. Earlier versions used a more detailed carnation; later simplified versions are more common in current circulation. ^[2]

Usage & Adoption

Geographic Usage

Internet circulation

Online Usage

Circulated through Tumblr and pride-flag reference sites

Current Status

active

Used in some institutional pride-flag guides as the MLM umbrella flag. ^[6]

Image Archive

Canonical original flag

Discourse & Debates

• There is ongoing discussion about whether 'achillean' or 'vincian' (from Leonardo da Vinci) is the preferred umbrella term for men-loving-men. Some treat vincian as a synonym for achillean; others use it more narrowly for exclusively gay men, mirroring how 'lesbian' is specific while 'sapphic' is the umbrella. 'Achillean' remains dominant. Other competing terms (apollian, chaeronean, wildean, uranian, erosian) have not achieved widespread adoption. ^[2][3]
• The relationship between the achillean umbrella and the striped gay men flags (7-stripe and 5-stripe) is sometimes unclear to newcomers. The achillean label is intentionally broader, encompassing bisexual, pansexual, and other men-aligned people attracted to men, while the striped gay men flags are often treated as more specifically homosexual male symbols. ^[2]
• Alternate flag versions circulate alongside the primary design. Reddit user Pacack posted a version on r/QueerVexillology on September 6, 2019, using darker blues and a green stripe. Twitter user CatColors posted a version in July 2020 using a blue rose emblem, intended for those who prefer not to use the 'achillean' term. ^[3][4]

Common misidentifications

• The Achillean flag is occasionally confused with the Sapphic flag by people unfamiliar with both, as both use soft-hued stripes with floral emblems.

Common confusions

• Sometimes confused with the striped gay men flags, which represent a more specific identity scope. ^[2]

Criticisms

• The carnation emblem makes the flag harder to reproduce than stripe-only designs, limiting its use on merchandise and at events where flags are sewn rather than printed. ^[2]

Achillean is broader than gay-men-only labeling. It can encompass bisexual, pansexual, and other men-aligned identities that include attraction to men. The term derives from the Greek hero Achilles, whose relationship with Patroclus has been interpreted as romantic since antiquity. ^[2]

Footnotes & Citations

Image Sources

Rendering

simplified carnation version

• The original Achillean Pride Flag designed by pridenpositivity on Tumblr in September 2016. Three light blue and cream stripes with a detailed botanical green carnation. The carnation references Oscar Wilde and Victorian gay culture, where green carnations were worn by gay men on their lapels. The detailed botanical illustration was later simplified for easier reproduction. · Credit: pridenpositivity (Tumblr) · Original 2016 design
• The achillean flag, an umbrella symbol for men-loving-men identity. The green carnation emblem references historical Queer male symbolism associated with Oscar Wilde, who instructed friends to wear green carnations to the 1892 London premiere of Lady Windermere's Fan. The flag was originally designed by Tumblr user pridenpositivity in June 2016 and redesigned by DeviantArt user Pride-Flags in October 2016. · Community reference