Rabiespunk Pride Flag

Overview

To provide a pride symbol specifically for the original, sincere Rabies Pride movement, and to distinguish it from the satirical uses that had overshadowed the movement's origins.

The broader Rabies Pride movement was created in 2017 by Tumblr user dirk-has-rabies, originally as a way for neurodivergent trans people to reclaim the dehumanizing treatment they experienced. The movement was subsequently satirized and memed, particularly through a parody account called rabidloving, which led to widespread misunderstanding of its original intent.

On April 27, 2021, Tumblr user neopronouns created a new flag and coined the term 'rabiespunk' to reclaim the original sincere meaning of the movement.

Identity & Context

Represented Identity

Neurodivergent (primarily autistic) transgender people who reclaim the dehumanizing stereotypes directed at them, including being treated as animals, as contagious, or as diseased for being perceived as 'too loud,' 'too hyper,' or 'too much' by cisgender neurotypical standards.

Subcommunity

neurodivergent trans community

Movement

rabiespunk / rabies pride

Racial / Ethnic Context

The flag includes explicit representation of neurodivergent trans people of color, with a brown stripe blending the black and brown of the Philadelphia pride flag.

Creators

The Creator

Attribution notes

Created by Tumblr user neopronouns on April 27, 2021. The designer also coined the term 'rabiespunk' to distinguish the movement from rabies in general and to align it with other reclamation-oriented terms such as voidpunk, amatopunk, and trenderpunk. The original Rabies Pride movement creator (dirk-has-rabies) expressed support for the design.

Origin

Digital Origin

true

Digital origin; no verified physical location.

Posted on Tumblr by user neopronouns on April 27, 2021.

Dates & Chronology

Year Created

2021

Exact date

April 27, 2021

First public use

April 27, 2021

Period in Use

2021-present

Circulates in neurodivergent and trans spaces on Tumblr. The original Rabies Pride movement creator (dirk-has-rabies) expressed support for the design.

The term 'rabiespunk' was coined to align with other reclamation-oriented identity labels ending in '-punk' (voidpunk, amatopunk, trenderpunk). A second, separate rabies pride flag by an anonymous artist was later posted by Tumblr user genderheaven on November 9, 2021, using a different design featuring red and gold triangles.

Lineage

Direct predecessors

Rabies Pride

Created as a flag for the rabiespunk movement, which is a reclamation and rebranding of the original Rabies Pride concept from 2017. Related to but distinct from earlier rabies pride flag designs.

Lineage tree

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

Ancestor

Rabies Pride

This record

Rabiespunk Pride Flag

Colors & Symbolism

The flag uses layered color symbolism where individual colors carry multiple simultaneous meanings across four thematic dimensions: trans identity, rabies imagery, nature, and neurodivergence. Brown also represents neurodivergent trans people of color.

Hex value published by the creator (neopronouns) in a follow-up Tumblr post listing the flag's pastel hex codes.

The flag uses an overlapping color-meaning system rather than a one-to-one stripe-to-meaning structure. Blue, pink, and yellow together represent the trans aspect. Red, pink, and yellow together represent rabies. Blue, green, and brown together represent nature. Green, red, and yellow together represent neurodivergence. Brown carries an additional layer of meaning for neurodivergent trans people of color.

The creator published a list of pastel hex codes on Tumblr in a follow-up post. The exact stripe-to-color mapping for the six-stripe arrangement should be verified against the original image, since the published list appears to contain five values while the flag is described elsewhere as having six stripes.

Design

Aspect Ratio

3:2

Orientation

horizontal

Stripe Count

6

Layout

horizontal stripes

Stripes (Top → Bottom)

blue, pink, yellow, red, green, brown

Six equal horizontal stripes. Exact color values have not been independently verified from the original image.

Six equal horizontal stripes, from top to bottom: blue, pink, yellow, red, green, and brown. The colors carry layered, overlapping meanings across trans, rabies, nature, and neurodivergent themes.

Usage & Adoption

First Users

Online neurodivergent trans communities

Online Usage

Tumblr

Current Status

active

Circulates primarily in neurodivergent and trans spaces on Tumblr. The original Rabies Pride movement creator expressed support.

Image Archive

Flag design

Discourse & Debates

• The broader Rabies Pride concept has been heavily satirized and memed since a parody Tumblr account (rabidloving) attracted widespread attention. The rabiespunk term and this flag were created in part to reclaim the movement's original sincere intent.
• Whether reclaiming dehumanizing rhetoric (being treated as rabid, feral, or diseased) is empowering or reinforces negative stereotypes about neurodivergent and trans people.

Common misidentifications

• Frequently confused with the satirical and meme versions of 'rabies pride' or 'rabiosexual,' which are parodies rather than sincere identity expressions.

Common confusions

• May be confused with the separate November 2021 rabies pride flag posted by genderheaven, which uses a different design with red and gold triangles.

The term 'rabiespunk' was coined by neopronouns to distinguish the sincere movement from its satirical appropriation. The '-punk' suffix follows the pattern of voidpunk, amatopunk, and trenderpunk, all of which involve reclamation of marginalized experiences.

Footnotes & Citations

Image Sources

Rendering

neopronouns 2021 original

• The Rabiespunk Pride Flag. Colors are approximated from circulating images. · SVG reconstruction