Gay men's flag (MLM flag)
Greens, white, blues and purple: a flag for gay men, trans and non-binary men included by design.
What the colours mean
- Dark green Community.
- Green Healing.
- Light green Joy.
- White Gender non-conforming, non-binary and trans men.
- Light blue Pure love.
- Indigo Fortitude.
- Dark purple Diversity.
Where it comes from
This flag was designed by the Tumblr user gayflagblog, who describes himself as a trans gay man, and first published on 10 July 2019. He released five-stripe and seven-stripe versions with the same meanings.
What the colours mean
The three greens stand for community, healing and joy, and together for nature. The designer's point is that love between men has often been called unnatural, and that green flowers, such as the green carnation of Oscar Wilde's circle, have long been associated with gay men.
The blues and purples stand for pure love, fortitude and diversity, and together for the range of ways gay men look, love and live: some fit a stereotype, some do not, and some sit in between.
The white stripe
The white stripe is taken from the transgender flag. The designer added it for gender non-conforming, non-binary and trans men, who he says are often erased or talked over, and has said it stays because the flag needs to be explicitly trans-inclusive.
What it is called
It has no official name. People call it the MLM flag, for men loving men, the gay men's flag, or sometimes the ocean flag. The designer has said it is not meant to replace the rainbow flag, which remains the main symbol for gay men. Its layout resembles the 2018 lesbian flag, which some people have criticised.
It is a different flag from the achillean flag, which is light blue and white with a green carnation.
Questions people ask
What do the MLM flag colours mean?
Community, healing and joy for the greens; gender non-conforming, non-binary and trans men for the white; pure love, fortitude and diversity for the blues and purple.
Who made the gay men's flag?
The Tumblr user gayflagblog, who first published it on 10 July 2019.
Does the MLM flag include trans men?
Yes. The white stripe, taken from the transgender flag, is there specifically for trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming men.
Is the MLM flag the same as the achillean flag?
No. The achillean flag is light blue and off-white with a green carnation in the centre.