Lithromantic / Akoiromantic Pride Flag (2014)

Overview

To give the lithromantic / akoiromantic experience a visual symbol and to mark it as part of the aromantic spectrum. The dual term history and the dual flag attributions make any single 'reason for creation' framing partial; both are preserved. ^[1][2]

The flag and the term emerged in mid-2014 from the same Tumblr a-spec community that produced cupiosexual, aegosexual, frayromantic, apothisexual, and other a-spec micro-label flags. The lith / akoi cluster differs from the rest of that wave because it arrived already contested: a community grounded objection to the term's etymology was voiced four days before the coinage itself was documented, and the dispute has not been resolved. The flag, the dominant term, and the alternate term all date to within a month of each other in May 2014, and they have continued to coexist for the decade since. ^[1][2][3][4]

Identity & Context

Represented Identity

lithromantic / akoiromantic

Subcommunity

aromantic spectrum

Language Context

Both prefixes are Greek-derived. Lith from lithos ('stone'); akoi / akoine from koine ('common, shared'). The choice between them encodes the central dispute. ^[3][4]

Creators

Attribution notes

Two competing flag attributions appear in secondary sources. The dominant version is most often credited to Tumblr user TheGenderfluidLifeChoseMe, with no exact date. A separate earlier red and yellow lith flag is credited to Tumblr user TheJasmineElf on or before April 17, 2014. ^[1][2] Whether these are different visual versions of the same artifact or two distinct flags is unsettled in the located sources. The Pride-Flags account on DeviantArt published a redrawn lithromantic / akoiromantic flag image on May 2, 2016 (5000x3000 pixels, 5:3 aspect ratio); this is a 2016 community reproduction, not the originating 2014 design. ^[5] The term coinage history is similarly contested. Lithromantic is most often credited to Tumblr user Ian (handle: stopanthropomorphizingme) and dated on or before May 22, 2014. The lith prefix is drawn from the Greek lithos ('stone'), invoking the stone butch tradition. CisphobeOfficial proposed the akoine / akoi alternative on May 18, 2014 (notably four days before the documented lith coinage date), drawing on the Greek koine ('common, shared'), citing concerns that the lith prefix appropriated Lesbian culture. ^[3][4] On May 27, 2014, Tumblr user Cor (handle: epochryphal) wrote 'On Lith and Stone' defending the lith prefix against the appropriation challenge; Cor identifies as transmasculine, queer, AFAB, with lived experience in stone communities, and argued that drawing on pre-established terminology in coinage is not the same as taking the term itself. ^[6] No consensus has emerged. Both terms continue in use, sometimes interchangeably and sometimes distinguished.

Origin

Digital Origin

true

No verified physical origin location. Without a confirmed location, Indigenous land context cannot be attributed.

Originated on Tumblr in mid-2014 inside the broader a-spec micro-label community. Specific physical origin not documented.

Dates & Chronology

Year Created

2014

Period in Use

2014–present

Both terms remain in active use. Wikis and pride flag guides typically list one or the other as the lead label and treat the other as alternate. The Pride-Flags DeviantArt account published a 2016 reproduction (May 2, 2016) that became the most-circulated visual reference. ^[5]

The akoi alternative was proposed on May 18, 2014, four days before the documented May 22 coinage of lith. Either the lith term circulated informally before the May 22 documentation or the secondary sources have the dates slightly wrong. Either way, the akoi objection was raised during the term's coinage rather than after it had settled into general use. Cor (epochryphal), who later coined quoiromantic and designed the quoiromantic flag, was a participant in this 2014 dispute and wrote a defense of the lith term on May 27, 2014. ^[6]

Lineage

Direct predecessors

Aromantic Pride Flag

Related flags

A-Spec Pride Flag, Akoisexual / Lithsexual Pride Flag (2014), Aroace Pride Flag, Aroflux Accessible Flag (2020), Aroflux Pride Flag, Aromantic Pride Flag (Yellow Center, 2014), Frayromantic Five-Stripe Pride Flag, Frayromantic Pride Flag, Grayromantic Pride Flag (2014, attribution disputed), Quoiromantic Pride Flag (2015, Cor / epochryphal)

Sibling flags

Aroflux Pride Flag, Demiromantic Pride Flag, Frayromantic Pride Flag, Quoiromantic Pride Flag (2015, Cor / epochryphal), Reciproromantic Pride Flag (creator unknown)

Sits in the 2014 Tumblr aromantic-spectrum micro-label cluster alongside grayromantic, frayromantic, and the quoiromantic precursor (which itself dates to December 2012 but received its own flag in 2015). The cluster holds the database's largest concentration of contested-attribution Tumblr-origin entries; the lith / akoi pair is the most heavily contested, with competing flag attributions, competing term coinages, and an appropriation debate dating from the moment of coinage. ^[1][2][3][4]

Lineage tree

Every record reachable from this one through documented parent and child relationships: 3 records across 3 generations.

Ancestors -2

Aromantic Pride Flag (Yellow Center, 2014)

Ancestor

Aromantic Pride Flag

This record

Lithromantic / Akoiromantic Pride Flag (2014)

Colors & Symbolism

The flag visually marks the experience of feeling romantic attraction without wanting it reciprocated, or of losing romantic feelings if they are reciprocated. Per secondary descriptions, the dominant version uses stripes referencing the aromantic flag's green for the aromantic spectrum, plus stripes for feeling attraction and for the in-between space, with one or more stripes carrying no assigned meaning. ^[1][2]

Per-stripe meanings vary across reproductions and have not been verified against either the TheGenderfluidLifeChoseMe or TheJasmineElf originating posts. Per-stripe meanings are not listed pending primary-source recovery.

No verified palette. The Pride-Flags 2016 DeviantArt reproduction is the most-circulated reference image but is not the originating 2014 design. Color hex values should be confirmed against either the TheGenderfluidLifeChoseMe or TheJasmineElf originating posts before the palette can be treated as verified.

Design

Aspect Ratio

5:3 (Pride-Flags 2016 reproduction)

Orientation

horizontal

Stripe Count

5

Layout

horizontal_stripes

Five horizontal stripes per the Pride-Flags 2016 reproduction. Exact stripe order and color values are not consistently reported across secondary sources and have not been verified against either the TheGenderfluidLifeChoseMe or TheJasmineElf originating posts. The 5:3 aspect ratio is from the Pride-Flags DeviantArt 2016 file dimensions (5000 by 3000 pixels). ^[5]

Five horizontal stripes. Pride-Flags 2016 file dimensions: 5000 by 3000 pixels.

A five-stripe horizontal pride flag for lithromantic / akoiromantic identity. The dominant version is most often credited to TheGenderfluidLifeChoseMe; an earlier version with red and yellow stripes is credited to TheJasmineElf on or before April 17, 2014. The Pride-Flags account on DeviantArt published a high-resolution 2016 reproduction at 5000 by 3000 pixels (5:3 aspect ratio). Exact color values and stripe order have not been verified against any of the originating 2014 posts and vary across secondary reproductions. ^[1][2][5]

Usage & Adoption

Online Usage

Reproduced in aromantic-spectrum and a-spec pride flag guides on the LGBTQIA+ Wiki, Pride Flag Wiki, MOGAI Wiki, and the Aromantics Wiki. The Pride-Flags DeviantArt May 2, 2016 reproduction is the most widely circulated reference image. ^[1][2][5]

Current Status

active

Both terms (lithromantic and akoiromantic) remain in active community use. There is no consensus on which is preferred; usage varies by community and context. ^[3][4]

Discourse & Debates

• Whether to use the lith prefix or the akoi prefix as the standard term. There is no community consensus. ^[3][4]
• Whether the appropriation argument about lithos as a stone butch reference is decisive or contested by stone-community members themselves. Reports vary on which side stone lesbians and transmasculine people generally take. ^[6]
• Whether the TheGenderfluidLifeChoseMe and TheJasmineElf flag attributions describe the same artifact in two reproductions or two distinct flags. ^[1][2]

Common confusions

• Lithromantic is sometimes confused with apromantic, which is a separate identity, though the two are sometimes treated as overlapping in older sources.

Criticisms

• The lith prefix has been challenged on appropriation grounds. The argument is that lithos ('stone') invokes the stone butch tradition, which originates with butch lesbians and transmasculine people, and that borrowing the prefix for a different identity context appropriates Lesbian culture. CisphobeOfficial proposed the akoi alternative on May 18, 2014, citing this concern. ^[3][4]
• A counter-position holds that drawing on pre-established terminology in coinage is not appropriation in the same sense as taking an established term, and that not using the lith prefix can itself be perceived as lesbian erasure. This position has been articulated by Cor (epochryphal), who identifies as transmasculine, queer, AFAB, with lived experience in stone communities, in a May 27, 2014 post titled 'On Lith and Stone.' Some stone lesbians have publicly aligned with this position. ^[6]

Lith- and akoi- (also akoine-, akoin-) are interchangeable prefixes for the same identity. The lith- prefix is older and more widely circulated; the akoi- prefix is preferred by community members who view the lith- etymology as appropriative. ^[3][4]

Footnotes & Citations

Image Sources

Rendering

TheGenderfluidLifeChoseMe (attribution disputed)