Xenogender Pride Flag

Overview

To provide a visual symbol for xenogender identities, which describe gender through metaphors, concepts, and experiences outside the masculine-feminine spectrum.

The term xenogender was coined by Tumblr user Baaphomett in 2014. The flag was created nearly three years later by Pastelmemer on DeviantArt. The design uses colors from iris flowers and features the astronomical sign for the asteroid Iris (a Greek goddess of rainbows) as the central symbol. ^[1][2][3]

Identity & Context

Represented Identity

xenogender

Subcommunity

nonbinary umbrella / neogender umbrella

Movement

MOGAI identity framework

Language Context

From Greek 'xeno-' (strange, alien). Xenogender was defined by Baaphomett as 'a gender that cannot be contained by human understandings of gender; more concerned with crafting other methods of gender categorization and hierarchy such as those relating to animals, plants, or other creatures/things.' ^[2]

Creators

The Creator

Attribution notes

The flag was created by DeviantArt user Pastelmemer (also known as Roswell) on January 15, 2017. Two flag options were posted on the same date using the same seven stripe colors. An alternate flag with an iris flower symbol was created by an anonymous user and Mod Hermy from Pride-Flags DeviantArt on February 17, 2017. ^[1][4]

Origin

Specific Place

DeviantArt

Place Type

social media

Digital Origin

Yes

Digital origin; no verified physical location.

Posted on DeviantArt by Pastelmemer on January 15, 2017. The term 'xenogender' was coined on Tumblr by Baaphomett in 2014. ^[1][2]

Dates & Chronology

Year Created

2017

Exact date

January 15, 2017

First public use

January 15, 2017

Period in Use

2017-present

The flag circulates in MOGAI and nonbinary community spaces, wikis, and pride flag directories. ^[1]

The xenogender symbol was later designed by system-lgbt on Tumblr on July 28, 2018, styled as a stylized iris. Baaphomett's original coining post is archived at purrloinsucks.tumblr.com. ^[2][3]

Lineage

Indirect influences

Nonbinary Pride Flag, Rainbow Pride Flag

Related flags

Aporagender Pride Flag, Egogender Pride Flag, Gender Neutral Pride Flag, Graygender Pride Flag, Intergender Pride Flag, MOGAI Pride Flag, Neurogender Pride Flag

Xenogender is a broader umbrella under which many specific identities fall, including egogender and neurogender. The flag's yellow central stripe connects it to the nonbinary flag, where yellow also represents genders outside the binary. ^[1]

Colors & Symbolism

The designer's statement covers both the emblem and the palette: "Central symbol is the astronomical sign for the asteroid Iris, named after the deity with the same name, who is associated with rainbows. Colors chosen are various common shades present in iris flowers." ^[4]

Sampled from the 5000 by 3000 original ^[4]

Astronomical sign for the asteroid Iris

Named for the deity associated with rainbows. The palette is drawn from the colours of iris flowers, making the emblem and the bands a single figure. ^[4]

The centre stripe's colour is argued rather than assumed: "The central stripe is yellow, as yellow is a common nonbinary color- and, as opposed to purple, which usually stands for androgynous nonbinary genders with some combination of male and female identities (hence red/blue mixed), yellow is often used to symbolize genders which have nothing to do with the binary in any way- including xenogenders." ^[4]

Sampled from the 5000 by 3000 pixel original, checked against the file size the page reports for it before sampling. The entry previously listed three of the seven bands; the yellow centre and all three blues and purples had no entry. ^[4]

The vector that illustrated this entry until August 2026 ended in dark grey #2D2D2D where the published flag ends in violet, and differed in two further bands. It has been redrawn to the sampled values.

Design

Aspect Ratio

3:5 · standard

Orientation

horizontal

Stripe Count

7

Layout

horizontal stripes with center symbol

Stripes (Top → Bottom)

Red, Coral, Orange, Yellow, Light Blue, Periwinkle, Violet

Center Symbol

The astronomical sign for the asteroid Iris

Seven bands of equal depth, with the Iris sign centred. ^[4]

Seven equal horizontal stripes with a centered astronomical symbol. ^[1]

Seven equal horizontal bands: red #FF6691, coral #FF9997, orange #FFB782, yellow #FBFFA6, light blue #84BBFF, periwinkle #9C84FF, violet #A317FF, with the astronomical sign for the asteroid Iris centred on the flag. ^[4]

Usage & Adoption

First Users

MOGAI Tumblr communities, Online nonbinary communities

Online Usage

Tumblr, DeviantArt, LGBTQIA+ identity wikis

Current Status

active

The flag is recognized in nonbinary and MOGAI communities. Xenogender as a concept has received broader media attention (LGBTQ Nation, etc.) than many other MOGAI categories. ^[5]

Discourse & Debates

• Xenogender identities are among the most discussed and debated categories within broader LGBTQ+ and MOGAI discourse. Some view them as legitimate expressions of gender diversity, while others argue they dilute or trivialize nonbinary identity. ^[5]
• Whether xenogender is best treated as a single identity or as an umbrella for hundreds of specific terms (catgender, stargender, voidgender, etc.). The flag is sometimes cited under one frame and sometimes under the other, and both framings circulate without resolution.
• The relationship between xenogender and neurodivergence is itself contested. Some xenogender people explicitly link their gender experience to autistic or otherwise neurodivergent cognition. Others find that linkage stigmatizing. Both positions are documented inside the community. ^[5]

Criticisms

• Xenogender has been a target in hostile coverage of online identity discourse. Critics outside the Queer community have used 'catgender' and similar specific labels as caricatures of the broader Queer identity project. Critics inside the Queer community have argued that metaphor-based gender labels weaken the political force of nonbinary identity claims. The two critiques sometimes converge on the same examples but do not share goals. ^[5]
• Some xenogender people describe their gender experience as connected to autistic or other neurodivergent cognition. That connection is sometimes treated as evidence of inauthenticity. Other xenogender people object to the connection on the grounds that it is stigmatizing. Both positions are held inside the community. ^[5]

Xenogender is both a specific identity and an umbrella term encompassing many specific genders described through metaphor, concept, or experience (e.g., catgender, stargender, etc.). ^[1]

Editorial note

Xenogender has been used as a target in hostile coverage of online identity discourse. Specific labels under the umbrella, especially 'catgender,' have been used as caricatures of the broader Queer identity project in community discussions documented by the LGBTQIA+ Wiki and adjacent sources. ^[5] The database does not try to quantify how often this happens in mainstream press; it notes that the hostile use exists in the discourse the entry sits inside.

The database documents the term as a real identity space with sincere users. Coining is attributed to Baaphomett (2014). The xenogender symbol was designed by system-lgbt on July 28, 2018. ^[2][3]

The entry does not try to settle the internal debate about whether xenogender is best treated as a single identity or as an umbrella for hundreds of specific terms. Both framings appear in community use.

Footnotes & Citations

Image Sources

Rendering

Pastelmemer 2017 version