It’s that time of year again. The time of year when the Pride Flags start circulating and I have to deal with The Flag That Shall Not Be Named.
So just as a casual, low key reminder, the intersex pride flag is this one:
[Image Description] The intersex flag: a field of yellow with a thick purple circle centered on it.[End description]
The one with the shitty gradient blur pink and blue center bars is old, out of date, and frankly insulting, what with the conflation of intersexuality and transness, to say nothing of the suggestion that all intersex people are just horrible mish-mashes of “male” and “female,” which obviously leads to people assuming that they can and should call us fuckening h*rmaphrodites.
I understand that it is more “historic” but it’s not the one that we actually use here and today.
Obviously I’m not going to single you our if you post that flag or pride graphics with that flag, because frankly I’m still flattered when people remember we exist.
But if you’re on the look out for this kind of information, just, like.
This is the one.
You will absolutely see people claim, btw, that this isn’t the intersex pride flag, and rather that it’s a “logo” for an australia intersex organization. Shockingly, this isn’t accurate.
The yellow and purple intersex pride flag was first showcased that the Australia branch of OII (Organisation Intersex International, AKA the only intersex group I trust, check them out when you get a chance). It has since been widely adopted by a number of intersex organizations, groups, and individuals, to replace the- have I mentioned the old flag basically says we’re automatically trans+h*rmaphroditic I just cant get over that- old flag.
And I know, I’m really fucking aggressive about this. It’s a pet peeve. It drives me up a wall. I realize I over react, that’s why I’m getting it out here now, instead of waiting until I choke and die on Old Flag Swag later this month.
Just like.
This is the flag.
And yes, if you’ve made rad awesome pride graphics with the old flag, post them. Remembering that intersex people exist (we are here, and by fuck, we are queer) is still a big step IMO.
But like, if you’ve been thinking about making cool pride graphics, but haven’t yet, here’s your official two part notice.
intersex people are real, and also, we are complete beings in our own right and not blurry frankenstein’s monsters made up of other things.
ETA: Also, like, if you are intersex and the old flag brings you comfort, pride, a sense of identity and belonging, please keep using it for yourself and your work, no matter how publically aimed that work is. That is your right, and I want to encourage you to be comfortable, and do whatever makes you comfortable, up to and including using the old flag, up to and including referring to yourself as being h*rmaphroditic, up to and including anything you want to do that makes you feel more secure in your identity as an intersex person.
This post has a very specific aim, and it’s to educate (and a little bit berate) perisex allies who aren’t doing their research, not to tell you what you have to do as an intersex individual.
