hi, hello there, it's me deb, your mutual (probably). this is a carrd about the vincian/toothpaste flag and the listerine flag. and why I, and many many many others (and especially lesbians) don't like them. I just kinda made this because of the large amount of the flags I see as someone in the wwdits, good omens, BBC ghosts and ofmd fandoms. so if ur my mutual on there I'm pointing you out (/lh)there's already a carrd about this but I feel like I can explain it in a way that more accurately describes how I feel about the whole thing 👍okay? okay good. uh next page I guess.
okay but firstly. the vincian/ocean/toothpaste flag is this flag.
and the listerine flag is this one.
the listerine flag was made in 2017 in the tumblr post below (sorry for the horrendous quality lol hopefully it's readable).
they are also the creator of this bi lesbian flag.
bi lesbians go into the spectrum label of mspec lesbians. this label, if you didn't know, is extremely lesbiphobic, because it's using the word lesbian for a label that includes an attraction to men. which lesbians don't have and is the defining aspect of lesbianism together with how men can't be lesbians.what the post is describing is bisexual sapphics with a fem preference. there's literally no need to include lesbianism in it 💀.oh right and the listerine flag is (I believe) a hue change of the lipstick lesbian flag. which by this point is obvious why the lipstick lesbian flag is bad.I've also been told the creator of it is transmed but I couldn't find any stuff about that (feel free to look for urself tho).
the vincian/toothpaste flag was created 2020 in this tumblr post. It is essentially the same flag as the listerine flag, which (at least to me) is wayyyy too close for comfort. A flag made by a lesbiphobe and transphobe: bad. a flag that looks literally like the exact same flag but more saturated: idk about you but that doesn't sound good 💀also I heard the creator was anti-black but again I don't know where this comes from because when I search on twt all i get is people saying they ARE and not HOW(again sry for the low quality I literally cannot find a better picture)
now, I'm gonna move onto the topic of copying or at least what I think is important in this situation when it comes to that.the vincian/toothpaste flag and the listerine flag both use the flag structure unique to lesbian flags. many people argue that they're supposed to match, because of solidarity, and that is an understandable thing to believe.but I feel like it really oversimplifies the meaning of the lesbian flag structure. what it means to the lesbian community, why just blatantly using it for a different flag is a bigger deal and something that can't be argued with "they match".
as much as they match, the lesbian flag structure (7 stripes with a white stripe in the middle and the surrounding stripes being gradients and becoming lighter as they near the middle stripe) is an identifier for all lesbian flags. they are how we recognize eachother, feel a sense of community, with a collective thing.
"but a lesbian said it's fine—" that doesn't overshadow the lesbians that are extremely uncomfortable by it. I'd rather listen to the side of a community that are uncomfy rather than hear that some aren't uncomfy, go "well they are fine with it" and then continue still making people uncomfy.and maybe that's just my people pleasing side talking, but I'd rather use a flag without any controversy (besides that it's an alternative to a flag that has a lot of discourse) rather than use a flag that has a lot of problematic things associated with it. to be safe.
well then, what're some alternatives? I'm. glad. you asked. 😈
this one's my personal favourite for gay headcanons and such! it's called the cinthean flag and has no whatsoever controversy. and it's pretty
this one isn't specifically gay, however it is mlm/nbylm! it's very cool and based off the rainbow which obviously has always been a big symbol for pride. also very pretty :)
this one is the gilbert baker gay flag! it's the original gay flag, designed in 1978! who doesn't love a classic?
