Sapphic, also known as Sapphist, is an umbrella term for women/woman-aligned individuals who are attracted to other women/woman-aligned individuals.[1][2] The term includes lesbian, bi and pan individuals, whether they be cisgender or transgender, masculine or feminine, or non-binary.[3]
It is often used as a synonym for "women loving women (WLW)."[4]
Etymology[edit | edit source]
The term comes from the Greek poet Sappho, who wrote many poems about love between women.[5][6] Sappho was from the island of Lesbos, which is where the counterpart "lesbian" comes from.[3]
History[edit | edit source]
The term "sapphic" was originally from the 16th century as a way to describe Sappho's poetic meter and style.[7] The term in relation to the LGBTQ+ community gained popularity in the later 1700s.[1]
Sapphic became a popular term to describe women loving women in the 1950s.[3] During the mid-to-late 20th century, the term was synonymous with lesbian.[7]
Flags & Symbols[edit | edit source]
The original sapphic flag was designed by Tumblr user lesbeux-moved in 2015. The pink stripes represent love, and the violet in the center was chosen due to its traditional ties to sapphic relationships.[8]
The flag was later simplified by Pride-Color-Schemes on Tumblr in 2017.[8]
The Violet Sapphic flag consists of a gradient of violent, a color chosen due to its connection to the sapphic community. It intersects with the Progress Pride flag, with the colors of the trans flag by Monica Helms and the intersex flag added from Valentino Vicchietti.[9]
Community[edit | edit source]
Statistics[edit | edit source]
In a semi-informal study done by Autostraddle, they collected date from 112 individuals in relation to the identity of sapphic. Of those who identified as sapphic, 79.5% of individuals were women, 39.4% were non-binary, and 3.6% were men. 53.6% of these individuals identified as queer, 44.6% as lesbian, 39.3% as bisexual, 16.1% as gay, 13.4% as pansexual, and 1.8% as straight. 13.4% of the respondents identified as on the aro and/or ace spectrums. 83.1% were in the age of 39, 10.7% were in their 40s, and 6.3% were over 50.[7]
Known Individuals[edit | edit source]
- Wednesday Holmes is a sapphic illustrator, designer and author[9]
Subterms[edit | edit source]
| Label | Flag | Description | Coiner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abrosapphic |  [10]
|
Someone who is abrosexual, but only fluid through sapphic identities. | godcoric[10] |
| Autosapphic |  [11]
|
Being auto-oriented and sapphic. | felix-makes-flags[11] |
| Bambi Sapphic |  [12]
|
A sapphic individual who prefers more sensual acts of intimacy over sexual acts. | Xaidee[12] |
| Non-Binary Sapphic |  [13]
|
A non-binary individual who identifies as sapphic. | anonymous[13] |
| Saphboy |  [14]
|
An individual who is sapphic and identifies as a boy in some way. | xenoleaf[14] |
| Saphe |  [15]
|
Someone who experiences a sapphic identity in a non-binary way. | forestcoric-mogai-fox[15] |
Alternative Flags[edit | edit source]
![Sapphic (deleted user)[16]](/wiki/File:Sapphic_3.png)
![Violet Sapphic (theybian)[17]](/wiki/File:Violet_Sapphic_2.png)
Sources[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Vargas, Alani. “What Does “Sapphic” Mean? The Term Has Made a Resurgence.” Parade, 28 May 2024, parade.com/living/sapphic-meaning. Accessed 2 June 2024.
- ↑ “Sapphic Meaning.” LesBeSocial, lesbesocial.com/lesbian-dictionary/sapphic-meaning. Accessed 2 June 2024.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Nast, Condé. “What Does It Mean to Be Sapphic?” Them, 27 Apr. 2022, www.them.us/story/what-does-sapphic-mean.
- ↑ koalatygirl. “What Does Sapphic Mean?” A Lesbian and Her Laptop, 11 Mar. 2021, alesbianandherlaptop.com/2021/03/11/what-does-sapphic-mean/.
- ↑ Eversoll, Madison. “The Meaning of Sapphic: Unraveling the Power of Identity.” Richmond Public Library, 21 June 2023, rvalibrary.org/shelf-respect/book-reviews/the-meaning-of-sapphic-unraveling-the-power-of-identity/.
- ↑ Goode, Justine. “What Does “Sapphic” Mean? An Ancient Term Is Having a Modern Moment.” NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024, www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-life-and-style/sapphic-mean-ancient-term-modern-moment-rcna147888. Accessed 22 May 2024.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Chandra. “Why “Sapphic” Is Back in Style.” Autostraddle, 9 Aug. 2021, www.autostraddle.com/why-sapphic-is-back-in-style-definition-meaning-trend/.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 “Pride Flags | UBC Equity & Inclusion Office | Okanagan Campus.” Equity.ok.ubc.ca, equity.ok.ubc.ca/pride-flags/.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Exton, Robyn. “What Does Sapphic Mean and How Does the Flag Look?” HER, 31 May 2022, weareher.com/sapphic-meaning-lesbian-slang-glossary/.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 godcoric. “Abroachillean: When You Are Abrosexual but You Are Only Fluid through Achillean Based (Mlm + Nblm) Sexualities, for Example an Abroachillien May Fluctuate through Vincian, Mspec, Toric, Minsexual, Etc, but Never Trixic or Lesbian.” Tumblr, 31 Aug. 2021, godcoric.tumblr.com/post/661071303255752704/abroachillean-when-you-are-abrosexual-but-you-are. Accessed 4 June 2024.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 felix-makes-flags. “Autosapphic.” Tumblr, 24 Dec. 2021, felix-makes-flags.tumblr.com/post/671464415323881472/autosapphic.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Xaidee. “Bambi-Sapphic Flag I Made Because an Earlier Poster Reminded Me of the Wonderful Term of Bambi Lesbians Hehe :).” Reddit, 11 Oct. 2020, www.reddit.com/r/QueerVexillology/comments/j8zhk3/bambisapphic_flag_i_made_because_an_earlier/. Accessed 4 June 2024.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 “Non-Binary Sapphic.” LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 21 Nov. 2021, lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Non-Binary_Sapphic. Accessed 4 June 2024.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 xenoleaf. “Saphboy.” Tumblr, xenoleaf.tumblr.com/post/631516317710696448/or-sapphboy-if-you-prefer-saphboy-a-boy-that.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 forestcoric-mogai-fox. “Saphe.” Tumblr, 15 June 2021, www.tumblr.com/forestcoric-mogai-fox/654065654793732096/saphe. Accessed 4 June 2024.
- ↑ “I’m Not Sapphic Myself, but I Decided to Redesign the Sapphic Flag with Slightly Darker Colors!” Reddit, 16 Oct. 2020, www.reddit.com/r/QueerVexillology/comments/jcd7g3/im_not_sapphic_myself_but_i_decided_to_redesign. Accessed 4 June 2024.
- ↑ theybian. “Violet Sapphic Flag by Theybian on DeviantArt.” Www.deviantart.com, 22 Feb. 2021, www.deviantart.com/theybian/art/violet-sapphic-flag-871157458. Accessed 4 June 2024.