Gay Men

Vincian, also called Patroclian and Wildean, is one of multiple terms used to describe gay men or men-aligned people (men/man-aligned people who are exclusively attracted to other men/man-aligned people). The term is meant to be a masculine equivalent of lesbian. It is also sometimes used as a variant of achillean.

The term "gay" is used as an adjective to describe homosexuality, and is also often used by the entire LGBT community in general. For this reason, various proposed terms for homosexual men were coined, including vincian. Some individuals also argue that "gay" should just mean homosexual men all together, due to the fact that homosexual women are referred to as lesbian. Other people simply refer to homosexual men as "gay men".

Etymology
The term vincian was coined in honor of Leonardo da Vinci, who was an Italian polymath of the Renaissance. He was thought to be involved in various homosexual relationships, although no one can prove it. He is most famous for his painting of Mona Lisa.

Etymology of Other Terms

 * Patroclian comes from the Greek story of Patroclus, who was thought to be a romantic partner of Achilles (Achilles is also the origin of Achillean). Many people feel this term is too long and has too many syllables.


 * Wildean was coined in honor of Oscar Wilde, an important figure in LGBT history. (This is also used as a variant of Achillean.) Wildean is also used as an adjective to describe things connected to Oscar Wilde.

Flag


The older version of the flag was made by Mod Hermy of the @ask-pride-color-schemes Tumblr blog and was based off of the set-up of the pink lesbian flag with it's seven stripes.

Later in 2019, the Tumblr Blog gayflagblog proposed a flag based off of the prior version that addressed the issues with the old one by adding symbolic and historical meanings to each color and stripe as well as allowing those in the community to offer input and propose their own changes.



There are various versions of this flag, including five-stripe and six-stripe "simplified" flags as well as various color edits to make the flag more purple with warmer greens, have different shades of green to represent the carnation flower, and one that added the color pink to the flag. Versions of the flag with the double-Mars symbol and the hyacinth flower have also been made.The meanings of the top three stripes are "Community", "Healing", and "Joy". The meanings of the bottom three stripes are "Pure Love", "Fortitude", and "Diversity". The white middle stripe is taken from the trans flag and represents all trans vincians/gay men.

Gayflagblog has talked about the inclusion of the White stripe and it's similarities to lesbian flag designs: "The white stripe is adopted from the Trans Pride flag because trans, nb, and GNC men are often erased or talked over and need explicit representation. We have a lot of unaddressed and blatant Transphobia, internalized Homophobia, and Toxic Masculinity directed towards GNC/non-cis men in our community that we need to address and resolve.

I am aware that a white middle stripe may make people think it’s too similar to other flags but at this point in time, where the battle for what should be basic human rights for trans people is ongoing, even in LGBT spaces, it’s more important than ever to remember the crucial roles our trans and GNC family have played in building our history and to honor them."

The green and teal in the flag represent nature, the reason being "[gayflagblog] thought this was important because love between men is often seen as “unnatural” in the eyes of society and in religion. Furthermore, gay men have historically used green flowers and plants (Carnations, hyacinths, etc.) to symbolize our love, reinforcing our connection with Nature."

The purple and indigo represent "diversity in presentation, relationships, and life experience." The blue-to-purple gradient on the bottom of half the flag symbolizes "how some [Vincians] might be stereotypical, some...might not be, and some... are in-between or fluid. Regardless, we should all be celebrated and respected."

Vincian flags are often labeled as "gay man" or "gay men" flags or even as just "mlm" flags, but should not be confused with achillean flags.