Achillean flag
Light blue and off-white with a green carnation, for men and non-binary people attracted to men.
What the colours mean
- Light blue Described as joy in the post that spread the design; some press describes it as standing for men.
- Green carnation A reference to the green carnations worn by Oscar Wilde and his circle.
Where it comes from
The achillean flag was first made in 2016 by the Tumblr user pridenpositivity. The simplified version shown here was posted on 5 October 2016 by the Pride-Flags archive on DeviantArt, and is the one most used.
The green carnation
Oscar Wilde famously wore a green carnation, and so did people in his circle. It is often said that the flower was a secret sign between gay men in Victorian England, but a literary historian has called that claim an unsubstantiated later invention. What is certain is the association with Wilde, who was convicted of homosexual acts in 1895.
What achillean means
Achillean describes men and non-binary people who are attracted to men, trans men included. The word comes from Achilles and Patroclus, whose relationship in the Iliad many readers and scholars see as a love story. It is the counterpart of sapphic.
Not the MLM flag
It is a different flag from the green, white and blue gay men's flag of 2019, although some sources show one for the other.
Questions people ask
What does the green carnation on the achillean flag mean?
It refers to the green carnations worn by Oscar Wilde and his circle. The idea that it was a secret code between gay men is not proven.
What is the difference between achillean and MLM?
Both describe men and non-binary people attracted to men, trans men included. Achillean is used as the counterpart of sapphic, MLM is the plainer term, and each has its own flag.