The non-binary flag is a

pride flag A pride flag is any flag that represents a segment or part of the LGBT community. ''Pride'' in this case refers to the notion of gay pride. The terms ''LGBT flag'' and '' queer flag'' are often used interchangeably. The rainbow flag is the most ...

that represents the

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typicall ...

community. It was designed by Kye Rowan in 2014.

Design

The non-binary flag consists of four equally-sized horizontal bars: yellow, white, purple, and black. There is no official or agreed-upon

proportion Proportionality, proportion or proportional may refer to: Mathematics * Proportionality (mathematics), the property of two variables being in a multiplicative relation to a constant * Ratio, of one quantity to another, especially of a part compare ...

(the images in this article are 2:3). The yellow stripe represents people outside the

gender binary The gender binary (also known as gender binarism) is the classification of gender into two distinct, opposite forms of masculine and feminine, whether by social system, cultural belief, or both simultaneously. Most cultures use a gender binar ...

. The white stripe represents people with multiple genders. The purple stripe represents people who identify specifically as a blend of male and female. The black stripe represents

agender Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typicall ...

people. File:Nonbinary flag (coloured cosmic latte).svg, Alternate version later proposed by Kye Rowan, which uses Cosmic latte instead of plain white. The design of both the genderqueer flag and the nonbinary flag include the colour lavender (purple) in reference to

LGBTQ+ history LGBTQ history dates back to the first recorded instances of same-sex love, diverse gender identities, and sexualities in ancient civilizations, involving the history of lesbian, gay (term), gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and queer ( ...

. The word

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and east ...

had long been used to refer to the gay community. A 1935 dictionary of slang included the phrase "a streak of lavender" meaning a person who was regarded as effeminate. A different-gender marriage where both parties were assumed to be gay was called a

lavender marriage A lavender marriage is a male–female mixed-orientation marriage, undertaken as a marriage of convenience to conceal the socially stigmatised sexual orientation of one or both partners. The term dates from the early 20th century and is used al ...

. The

Lavender Scare The "lavender scare" was a moral panic about homosexual people in the United States government which led to their mass dismissal from government service during the mid-20th century. It contributed to and paralleled the anti-communist campaign wh ...

was a moral panic in the mid-20th century, where LGBT+ people were dismissed ''en masse'' from their jobs with the United States government. Expressions used by the LGBT+ community are sometimes referred to as

lavender linguistics LGBT linguistics is the study of language as used by members of LGBT communities. Related or synonymous terms include lavender linguistics, advanced by William Leap in the 1990s, which "encompass sa wide range of everyday language practices" in ...

History

Kye Rowan created the pride flag for non-binary people in February 2014 to represent people with genders beyond the male/female binary. The flag was not intended to replace the genderqueer flag, which was created by Marilyn Roxie in 2011, but to be flown alongside it, and many believe it was intended to represent people who did not feel adequately represented by the genderqueer flag. During

Eurovision 2024 The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is set to be the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It is scheduled to take place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Tattoo" by Loreen. Organised by the Europ ...

, the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internati ...

singer

Nemo Nemo may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Games * ''Nemo'' (arcade game), a 1990 arcade game by Capcom based on ''Little Nemo'' * NEMO (video game console), an unreleased console Music * Nemo (American band), an indie rock band * Nemo ( ...

, who came in first place, sneaked a non-binary flag into the opening ceremony. Nemo later said "I had to sneak in the flag of my non-binary gender because Eurovision told me I couldn't take it out.". Despite banning the non-binary flag, Eurovision's official

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account posted an image of the flag after the contest.

Emoji

Due to the

Unicode Consortium The Unicode Consortium (legally Unicode, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated and based in Mountain View, California. Its primary purpose is to maintain and publish the Unicode Standard which was developed with the intent ...

having a blanket policy on not adding any additional flag

emoji An emoji ( ; plural emoji or emojis) is a pictogram, logogram, ideogram or smiley embedded in text and used in electronic messages and web pages. The primary function of emoji is to fill in emotional cues otherwise missing from typed convers ...

s, an emoji for the non-binary flag will not be added unless the flag policy is rescinded or modified.

References

{{reflist 2014 in LGBTQ history LGBTQ flags Flags introduced in 2014

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design emp ...