Gay (MLM/NBLM)

The ocean gay flag by gayflagblog.

### Pronounced

GAY (pronunciation for additional terms, such as cinthean and veldian, are featured in the notes at the bottom of the page)pronunciation guide

### Alternate names & spellings

* Uranian
* Patroclian
* Patroclic
* Cinthean
* Turian
* Veldian
* Floric (some definitions)
* Vincian (circumstantial; also refers to achillean people/attraction)
* MLM (circumstantial; also refers to achillean people/attraction)
* Gay (in application to men and some nonbinary people)
* Homo- (-sexual, -romantic, etc.) (in application to men and some nonbinary people) (controversial)

### Gender(s)

* Men
* Nonbinary people
* Non-women

### Attracted to

* Men
* Nonbinary people (circumstantial)
* Non-women (some definitions)

## Related terms

### Similar or related

* Gay
* Floric
* Twink
* Bear
* Otter
* Wolf
* Lavenian
* Turigirl
* Violaen
* Solian
* Velaurian

### Sometimes confused with

* Achillean
* Uranic

### Counterpart or opposite

* Straight (being attracted to the "opposite" gender, or genders different than one's own)
* Darcian (straight attraction to women)
* Lesbian (women who are attracted to women, typically exclusively; can be inclusive to nonbinary people as well)
* Bennetian (straight attraction to men)

*Note: This article is for gay men and nonbinary people attracted to men. For gay as a general term, see Gay.*

**Gay** (MLM/NBLM) is a term for gay men, and some nonbinary people as well. It is also known as **uranian**, **vincian**, **patroclian**, **patroclic**, **cinthean**, **turian**, **veldian**, or **floric**. All terms are typically defined as achillean/toric equivalents to the lesbian label. Gay attraction may be sexual, romantic, and/or tertiary, depending on the person. The label(s) one prefers to describe oneself with varies from person to person, but for the sake of consistency, the word "gay" will be used throughout this article, unless specifically referencing another label.

All proposed terms listed here, with the exceptions of the floric and vincian labels, are essentially intended to be perfect synonyms for "gay man." However, due to the various ways in which gay men are defined, each label is subject to interpretation, and definitions may vary depending on the person. There are also slight variations in the definition for each individual label's coining. Attraction may or may not be defined as exclusive. Examples of definitions used include:

* Men attracted to men.
* Gay or queer attraction to men.
* Non-women attracted to non-women.
* Men and nonbinary people attracted to the same and/or similar gender(s).
* Men and nonbinary people attracted to men, and potentially nonbinary people as well.
* Men, man-aligned, or masculine people attracted to other men, man-aligned, and/or masculine people.

As mentioned, the floric label was not coined as a perfect synonym for "gay man," unlike other labels. Floric is specifically defined as "non-wom[e]n attracted to non-women, either exclusively or non-exclusively," therefore does not align with all definitions of gay men. However, it is synonymous with some definitions of gay men, and thus is included here.

The coiner of the floric label notes that it is an equivalent to the lesbian label, and may be defined as a shorthand for "gay man," but that this definition is also reductive of the label's specific intent. The floric label also explicitly includes aroaces, a-spec people, varioriented people, and pluralian people.

The vincian label is also sometimes considered to be an equivalent to "achillean", rather than equivalent to "gay man." This is due to the wording on the original coiner's posts, which suggests that the term is exclusively intended for gay men, but *also* suggests that the term is an alternative to the achillean label:

> I really wanna work on getting a popular flag that’s just for gay men. Not that Achillian crap either like something based around da Vinci like I said before he’s a far better icon for us MLM than that piece of shit Achilles
>
> - bivirgil, untitled Tumblr post

> I wanted to make my own pride flag for male attracted men that’s not that Achillian crap[...] and I propose an association with Leonardo da Vinci or “vincian” but im open to suggestions.
>
> - bivirgil, untitled Tumblr post

## Etymology

The word uranian is one of the earliest historical terms for gay men, predating both "homosexual" and "gay." The coinage of this term is attributed to the German sexologist Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, who coined *Urning* to describe "male-bodied people with a female psyche" in 1864. Uranian is the English translation of *Urning*. Uranians were sometimes divided into subcategories, and were most notably divided into *Mannlinge* (mannling or manling) and *Weiblinge* (weibling or womanling). *Mannlinge* referred to people who are now commonly understood to be gay cisgender men, and *Weiblinge* referred to people who are now commonly understood to be transgender women or transfeminine people. The word *Urning* derives from "Aphrodite Ouranios," inspired by Plato's *Symposium*. In modern usage of the word, uranian refers almost exclusively to gay men, and it has been adopted by various advocates of gay liberation. One early instance of the use of the word uranian can be traced back to John Addington Symonds in his book *A Problem in Greek Ethics*, originally published in 1883. Edward Carpenter also used the term in his book *The Intermediate Sex*, published in 1921.

"Homosexual" derives from the prefix *homo-*, meaning "same" (in this instance, referring to the same gender or sex), and "sexual" to denote sexuality. This term is often considered offensive, due to its historically negative connotations, and its harmful usage in outdated medical literature.

The word gay was initially a Middle English word meaning "bright" or "lively," dating back to the 13th century, if not earlier. It stemmed from the Anglo-French *gai*, meaning "cheerful." By the 1950s, the word gay referred to attraction to people of the same gender.

The word vincian was coined by bivirgil on June 22, 2018. They coined it as a term for male-attracted men, and also noted that it is inclusive of nonbinary and gender nonconforming men. The term is derived from the name of Leonardo da Vinci, who is often thought to have been gay or achillean.[*source?*]

The word floric was coined by variant-archive on July 31, 2019. It is derived from the name of the town of Florence, which is the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci,[*source?*] and is inspired by the etymological roots of the vincian label.

The word patroclic or patroclian was coined by an anonymous person, through the Tumblr page Ask-Pride-Color-Schemes, on August 15, 2019. The term is derived from the name of Patroclus, who had a relationship with Achilles in Greek mythology, which was potentially romantic in nature.[*source?*] In this way, the term pairs with achillean etymologically.

The word cinthean was coined by the Twitter user halcyotis (formerly monstericfag), with the help of ghostedprince and ZERRAORRA, on July 5, 2020. It derives from the name of Hyacinthus, who was a lover of Apollo.[*source?*]

The words turian and veldian were both coined by kenochoric on November 13, 2020. Turian is derived from the name of Alan Turing, a British mathematician and visionary who helped win World War II. Turing was convicted for being a gay man in 1952; being gay was illegal in Britain at the time, and would not be decriminalized until 1967. Turing died on June 7, 1954, from cyanide poisoning. Veldian was coined as a term for people who don't like labels inspired by people's names. This term derives from velds or veldts, which are grassy plains in southern Africa. These plains are filled with sunlight. This is meant to be a more symbolic representation of being gay, since the sun can be equated to masculinity. Turian and veldian are both intended to be inclusive terms for all gay men and nonbinary people.

## Flag

The vincian flag was made by Tumblr user bivirgil, the coiner of the vincian label, on June 22, 2018. Purple represents feminine and gender nonconforming men, white represents nonbinary men, and blue presumably represents men in general.

The uranian flag was designed by Valya Belyaev (Валя Беляев) on October 9, 2018. It symbolizes attraction between men, as well as the diversity of the uranian community. Shades of blue were chosen due to their cultural associations with manhood and masculinity, symbolizing men, and uranians in particular. This decision was stated to be entirely a choice of gender symbolism, rather than gender stereotyping, and it is not meant to imply that men have any specific feelings towards masculinity or gender roles. The flag was designed with the intent of increasing awareness for uranians, as well as the specific problems uranians face, such as uraniphobia, misandry, demonization, gender stereotyping, and restricted reproductive rights. There is a version of the flag with a double Mars symbol, as well as a version without it.

The ocean gay flag, also sometimes referred to as the "toothpaste" gay flag (often derogatorily), was designed by Tumblr user gayflagblog on July 10, 2019. There are versions with seven stripes, a simplified version with five stripes, and additional variations of the flag. All flags share the same meanings, and all flags are inclusive of all gay men. This includes, but is not limited to, people who are aromantic, asexual, questioning, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, and/or of any religious background.

The stripe meanings were inspired by Gilbert Baker's original LGBTQIA+ pride flag. Green and teal represent nature. This was important to highlight, due to achillean love often being deemed "unnatural" in the eyes of society and religion, and thus deemed as "morally wrong." This is a stance against that idea, embracing the nature of love between men. Men have also historically used plants, such as green carnations and hyacinths, to symbolize their love for other men.

The white stripe was adopted from the transgender flag, with the intention of explicitly representing transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming men, who are often erased. Purple and indigo represent diversity in presentation, relationships, and life experience. This calls to attention the fact that gay men and nonbinary people are not a monolith, and that it is impossible to place everyone into neat boxes. Light blue leads into a deep purple to represent how some gay people may be "stereotypical," while others may not be, and some may be fluid or fall somewhere in between.

Each stripe also has its own individual meaning. Green represents community, teal represents healing, light teal represents joy, white represents transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming men, light blue represents pure love, purple represents fortitude, and indigo represents diversity.

The floric flag was designed by variant-archive, the coiner of the floric label, on July 31, 2019. Its design was inspired by "the most commonly used lesbian flag as of 2019 and its 5-stripe variation," presumably the sunset lesbian and community lesbian flags, respectively. There is a version with seven stripes, as well as a simplified version with five stripes. Jade represents peace and serenity. Spring green represents community and support. Aquamarine represents independence and freedom. White represents intersex, gender nonconforming, and non-cisgender people. Moonstone represents art and magic, and was inspired by Gilbert Baker's LGBTQIA+ pride flags. Verdigris represents love and trust. Lapis represents attraction and intimacy.

The cinthean flag was designed by the Twitter user halcyotis (formerly monstericfag), with the help of ghostedprince and ZERRAORRA, on July 5, 2020. It was designed with the cinthean label in mind, but can be used by any gay man or nonbinary person, regardless of which gay label the person prefers. The flag was created to provide an optional alternative, but not necessarily a replacement, to previous gay flags. This is due to the controversy surrounding the ocean flag and blue gay flag, which some feel enforce gender stereotypes through their color choices. This flag is not intended to be based on any flag that came before it. The colors were picked from common hyacinth flowers, and the meanings are as follows: indigo represents depth, purple represents beauty, hot pink represents passion, pink represents pure love, peach represents joy, and white represents cintheans who are transgender, nonbinary, and/or gender nonconforming.

The turian/veldian flag was designed by Tumblr user kenochoric, the coiner of the turian and veldian labels, on November 25, 2020. Despite being designed for the turian and veldian labels, they clarified that the flags are available to any gay man or nonbinary person who wants to use it, even if they don't use the turian and/or veldian labels specifically.

The meanings behind the stripes were specified in their original post. Pink (or red) represents expression and identity, including those who are gender nonconforming, transgender, nonbinary, a-spec, etc. It represents the fact that everyone in the community has their own unique expression and identity. Pale yellow represents history, solidarity, and acceptance of one another. The stripe pays respect to those who came before, as well as the younger members of the community who continue to carry forward. Mint represents the community, and the diversity and broadness within it. Blue represents experiences with masculinity, whether one embraces it, or rejects it entirely. Dark purple represents power, pride, and individual autonomy.

## Symbol

The symbol for gay men (⚣) is two interlocking Mars symbols (♂), a symbol commonly used to represent men and masculinity. This symbol can represent gay men, achillean men, and relationships between men. The symbol first appeared in the 1970s.

## Gallery

A romance-oriented ocean gay flag.A romance-oriented simplified ocean gay flag.A "More Color More Pride" ocean gay flag.A simplified "More Color More Pride" ocean gay flag.The cinthean flag with a hyacinth symbol.The "More Color More Pride" cinthean flag.
## Notes

1. ↑ Uranian is pronounced yə-RAY-nee-ən.
2. ↑ Vincian is pronounced VIN-chee-ən.
3. ↑ Patroclian is likely pronounced pə-TRO-klee-ən or pə-TRAH-klee-ən, based on its etymology.
4. ↑ Patroclic is likely pronounced pə-TRO-klik or pə-TRAH-klik, based on its etymology.
5. ↑ Cinthean is pronounced SIN-thee-ən.
6. ↑ Turian is likely pronounced tə-ree-ən, based on its etymology.
7. ↑ Veldian is pronounced VEL-dee-ən.
8. ↑ Floric is pronounced FLO-rik.
9. ↑ This definition is controversial, due to the history and usage of the term "non-woman." Defining gay (MLM/NBLM) people as "non-women attracted to non-women" also tacitly centers women, and defines gay people by what they "aren't," as opposed to what they are. This also excludes gay people who may identify (at least in part) with womanhood, such as some bigender and genderfluid people.
10. ↑ "Masculine" may refer to gender identity, gender alignment, gender expression, gender presentation, or a combination of these things.
11. ↑ Tumblr user kenochoric has gone by many pronouns over the years, but it is unclear what pronouns they currently use. They are referred to with they/them pronouns here to maintain neutrality and ambiguity.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alyson Publications. *Alyson Almanac: A Treasury of Information for the Gay and Lesbian Community*. ed. 2, Alyson Publications, 1990. ISBN 9781555830199. "**URNING.** A homosexual male. This term was introduced by Karl Heinrich Ulrichs in 1864 as part of his theory on homosexuality."
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Symonds, John Addington. *A Problem in Greek Ethics*. 1883. English. ISBN 9781605063898.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Carpenter, Edward. *The Intermediate Sex*. 1921. English. ISBN 9781138184206.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Sotska, Julia (2022-01-10). Uranian - What is it? What does it mean?. Taimi. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Ulrichs, Karl Heinric. *Forschungen über das Räthsel der mannmännlichen Liebe*. Leipzig, 1868. German.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 bivirgil (2018-06-22). I really wanna work on getting a popular flag that’s just for gay men.. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 bivirgil (2018-06-22). So inspired by @wuvsbian I wanted to make my own pride flag for male attracted men.... Archived from the original on January 22, 2022.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 Anonymous (2019-08-15). Patroclic/patroclian.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Cinthean. Carrd.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 halcyotis (2020-07-05). Hey! So, as a gay man.... Archived from the original on July 5, 2020.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Rowan (2020-11-13). So for gay labels I’m currently thinking:. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023.
12. ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 Rowan (2021-10-24). Some clarifications on turian/veldian, since it needs to be said:. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023.
13. ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 Rowan (2022-07-23). veldian’s usual definition is “gay attraction to men,” (dead link).
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Rowan. Veldian / Turian. Carrd. Archived from the original on May 13, 2023.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Rowan (2020-11-25). Turian and lavenian. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.8 16.9 variant-archive (2019-07-31). Floric. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020.
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 WHAT IS LGBTQIA+?. The Center.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Terms & Definitions. Amherst College.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 List of LGBTQ+ terms. Stonewall. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 'LGBTI' People and Communities. LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (2019-06-28). Archived from the original on April 20, 2021.
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Gay. The Trans Language Primer.
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 PFLAG National Glossary of Terms. PFLAG.
23. ↑ Terms to Know. Out Front Theatre Company. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023.
24. ↑ Homo Definition & Meaning. Dictionary.com.
25. ↑ Homosexual Definition & Meaning. Merriam-Webster.
26. ↑ Gay Definition & Meaning. Merriam-Webster.
27. ↑ Copeland, B.J.. Alan Turing: British mathematician and logician. Britannica.
28. ↑ Cowell, Alan (2020-05-06). Overlooked No More: Alan Turing, Condemned Code Breaker and Computer Visionary. New York Times.
29. ↑ Belyaev, Valya (2018-10-09). File:Uranian pride flag (Gay men pride flag).png. Wikimedia Commons.
30. ↑ gayflagblog (2022-02-14). I’ve seen Ocean Flag a lot and tbqh I think it’s fitting.
31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 gayflagblog (2019-07-10). Gay Man Flag.
32. ↑ gay-male-symbol. Matthew Shepard Foundation.
33. ↑ Symbols of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Movements. LAMBDA (2004-12-24). Archived from the original on December 30, 2005.