Genderfae Pride Flag

Overview

To name a fluid gender experience that is never male, masculine, or male-aligned (unless the gender in question is also female-aligned), as a complement to the later-coined genderfaun. ^[1]

The term genderfae was coined by an anonymous submission to the MOGAI-Archive Tumblr blog in 2014. ^[1] MOGAI-Archive coined approximately 229 terms during its short active period before going dormant in March 2015. The flag emerged later, with the most commonly circulated version dating to around 2017. The Nonbinary Wiki entry presents the flag as established but does not credit a specific flag designer. ^[1]

Identity & Context

Represented Identity

genderfae

Subcommunity

nonbinary umbrella; genderfluid spectrum; never male, masculine, or male-aligned

Creators

Attribution notes

The term genderfae was coined by an anonymous submission to the MOGAI-Archive Tumblr blog in 2014. ^[1] MOGAI-Archive operated for less than a year, from June 2014 to March 17, 2015. The flag itself postdates the term and the original flag designer is not clearly documented in the primary sources reviewed. Secondary wiki sources have at times credited the flag art to the DeviantArt user Superpopcorn101 (early 2017) or to the Pride-Flags collective on DeviantArt; these attributions have not been confirmed against a primary source. A separate genderfae symbol, distinct from the flag, has been credited to Tumblr user nicprice127 (July 11, 2018) and is tracked as a separate object with its own authorship trail.

Origin

Place Type

online platform

Digital Origin

true

The term originated on the MOGAI-Archive Tumblr blog in 2014. The flag itself emerged later, also on Tumblr and DeviantArt, with disputed authorship. ^[1]

Dates & Chronology

Year Created

2017

Period in Use

term 2014–present; flag c. 2017–present

The term and flag have been absorbed into the Nonbinary Wiki, the LGBTA Wiki, and the broader MOGAI ecosystem. The 2019 Worldwide Gender Census recorded twelve respondents identifying as genderfae; the 2020 Gender Census recorded fifty-three respondents (0.21 percent of total respondents). ^[1] The term has also been cited in academic literature on queer and transgender postsecondary students. ^[2]

Genderfae and the later-coined genderfaun (2017) are paired sibling terms, with genderfae as the never-male variant and genderfaun as the never-female variant. The flags are typically presented together in MOGAI and nonbinary wiki ecosystems. ^[1]

Lineage

Indirect influences

Genderfluid Pride Flag, Genderflux Pride Flag, Rainbow Pride Flag

Related flags

Demigirl Pride Flag, Genderfaun Pride Flag, MOGAI Pride Flag, Transfeminine Pride Flag

Genderfae and genderfaun are paired sibling flags, with genderfae as the never-male variant and genderfaun as the never-female variant. The structural relationship to genderfluid 2012 Poole and to genderflux is one of template-family resemblance rather than direct evolution. The Nonbinary Wiki also lists Demifae, Genderfaer, Genderfaunet, Genderflor, Gendervae, and Genderselkie as related identity terms; these are related identities, not related flags. ^[1]

Colors & Symbolism

The flag represents genderfae, a fluid gender that never encompasses male, masculine, or male-aligned genders, unless the gender in question is also female-aligned. ^[1] The pastel palette has been described in secondary sources as evoking 'fae' associations, and as deliberately excluding blue to mark the absence of masculine alignment. These descriptions are post-hoc community readings rather than statements published by the original flag designer.

Sampled from the archived genderfae flag image. ^[3]

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

Per-stripe meanings are not published in any primary source reviewed. The Nonbinary Wiki presents the flag without per-stripe meanings. The absence of per-stripe meanings is a documented feature, not an oversight. ^[1]

No primary source published hex values for the genderfae flag. The values given were sampled directly from the archived flag image. The seven-stripe palette deliberately omits any blue stripe. ^[1][3]

Design

Aspect Ratio

5:3

Orientation

horizontal

Stripe Count

7

Layout

horizontal_stripes

Stripes (Top → Bottom)

Sage green, Light green, Pale yellow, White, Pink, Magenta, Lavender

Seven equal horizontal stripes ordered top to bottom: sage green, light green, pale yellow, white, pink, magenta, lavender. Verified from image sampling. ^[3]

A seven-stripe horizontal flag in a pastel palette ordered top to bottom: sage green, light green, pale yellow, white, pink, magenta, lavender. The palette contains no blue. The structure mirrors the genderfaun flag, which uses a complementary palette that contains no pinks or reds. Secondary sources read the absence of blue as signaling the absence of masculine alignment in genderfae, but the original flag designer did not publish a stripe-meaning key. ^[1][3]

Usage & Adoption

Online Usage

Tumblr (MOGAI-Archive 2014 term coinage and subsequent reblogs and mirrors) ^[1], Nonbinary Wiki and LGBTA Wiki ^[1], DeviantArt (Pride-Flags collective and other later artists) ^[1]

Current Status

active

The genderfae label was recorded in the 2019 Worldwide Gender Census (12 respondents) and the 2020 Gender Census (53 respondents, 0.21 percent of total respondents). ^[1] The label has also been cited in academic literature. ^[2]

Discourse & Debates

• The naming dispute around 'fae' is ongoing rather than resolved. Some community members consider the term appropriative of fae or faerie traditions; others reject this framing. The archive records the dispute as a dispute and does not resolve it in its own voice.

Common confusions

• Genderfae and the later-coined genderfaun are sometimes conflated. They are sibling terms with mirrored definitions: genderfae is never male or male-aligned (unless also female-aligned); genderfaun is never female or female-aligned (unless also male-aligned). ^[1]
• The genderfae flag and the separately credited genderfae symbol are sometimes treated as a single object. They are distinct objects with separate authorship trails.

Criticisms

• The term genderfae has been criticized as disrespectful to cultures and religions that revere fae or faeries. The Nonbinary Wiki documents this criticism and notes that an alternative term, genderdoe, was proposed for those who wish to avoid the perceived disrespect. A second alternative term, genderthil, has also been proposed. ^[1] The criticism is preserved here as a documented dispute. The archive does not adjudicate it.

Alternative terms for genderfae include genderdoe and genderthil, both proposed in response to the naming dispute. ^[1] Related but distinct terms include Demifae, Genderfaer, Genderfaunet, Genderflor, Gendervae, and Genderselkie, which name related but separate fluid-gender identities. ^[1]

Editorial note

The archive preserves the genderfae naming dispute as a dispute. It does not resolve the question of whether the term is appropriative, and it does not flatten the alternative term proposals (genderdoe, genderthil) into footnotes. The flag and the separately credited genderfae symbol are tracked as distinct objects.

Footnotes & Citations

Image Sources

Rendering

circulated wiki version