D&D General Creating a Pride Flag for my D&D setting

[Yaarel]

I appreciate the forumer responses. The LGBTQ+ community is complex issue and important to navigate as well as possible. As a voice in the wider conversation, some of my perspectives are here.



Being proud of who one is, and being proud of who an other is, come from human dignity.

Whether the world is functional or dysfunctional, each human must make an effort to feel pride about ones own ways of being.

If an identity group who share similar qualities and outlooks, encounters hatespeak and oppression, and worse, it helps to remind oneself who one is and what one is standing for, and to find companionship among others who share a similar identity and a similar struggle.



LGBTQIA+ is an alliance of various identity groups. Various members bring diverse perspectives to this alliance. Q stands for "Queer" and includes everyone in this alliance, including LGB and T. The alliance evolves from the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual and Transgender communities, who remain prominent members today, but expands to include other identity communtities as well. The initials call out Intersex a prominent member among Queers. The A can mean different things. In my experience the A stands for Ally. These Allies are the cisgender heterosexual who strongly support Queer humans, are often family members. These allies are members of the wider spectrum of human possibilities.

LGBTQIA+ are deeply human features, across cultures, across history, are necessary parts of human, and exist since before human history. In my view, it is anti-human to hatespeak against or harm LGBTQIA+, and any who do do hate make themselves less human.

The Allies are part of a better world, a functional world, where hateful dysfunctionalities can heal, where every human can be oneself successfully, and where each human figures out ways to coexist constructively with other humans who are different who come from different perspectives.



The Rainbow Flag − also called Pride Flag and LGBTQ+ flag − arose during the 1970s. Its creator, Gilbert Baker, designed to signify "the dawn of a new gay consciousness and freedom". The flag is to remind people what a better world looks like. Explicitly, the flag stands for:

• Sex
• Life
• Healing
• Sunlight
• Nature
• Magic
• Serenity
• Spirit

The flag is positive in nature. The flag is dignity, spirituality, physicality, even fun. Its adherents strive for healing and holism. A better world that can welcome each human, is possible. Even inevitable. Even miraculously inevitable.

By the way, these eight qualities are also pertinent fey elf qualities.

Within a couple years, Baker modified this flag to the six stripes representing the colors of rainbow. By extension, Sex and Life together emphasize a healthy sex life. And Magic and Serenity together emphasize holistic action, sometimes understood as art. Across the decades, this rainbow comes to represent the full spectrum of human possibilities. The flag continues to signify dignity, spirituality, physicality, even fun.

 

[Steampunkette]

The A stands for Asexual. Not Allies.

It's also generally considered divisive and rude to split "LGB" away from T, given the current trend of transphobic bigots doing -precisely- that. Advocating for "LGB Rights" to the exclusion of Trans individuals.

Mainly because they're not actually interested in the LGBTQIA+ community, only in breaking it apart.

nudges the LGBs "Those Ts don't really belong 'cause they're not a sexuality, amirite?"
nudges the LGs "Those Bs don't really belong 'cause they often have heterosexual relationships, amirite?"
nudges the Ls "Those Gs don't really understand what it's like to be a homosexual woman, so they don't belong, amirite?"

 

[Yaarel]

The A stands for Asexual. Not Allies.

It's also generally considered divisive and rude to split "LGB" away from T, given the current trend of transphobic bigots doing -precisely- that. Advocating for "LGB Rights" to the exclusion of Trans individuals.

Mainly because they're not actually interested in the LGBTQIA+ community, only in breaking it apart.

nudges the LGBs "Those Ts don't really belong 'cause they're not a sexuality, amirite?"
nudges the LGs "Those Bs don't really belong 'cause they often have heterosexual relationships, amirite?"
nudges the Ls "Those Gs don't really understand what it's like to be a homosexual woman, so they don't belong, amirite?"

In my communities, A stands for Allies. I was surprised to learn that for other communities it stands for Asexual.

I "split" LGB and T, in the sense, of "orientation" and "gender", which are different aspects of a human.

Historically, the Transgender community is central to the origins of the modern LGBTQ+ since the 1800s. Arguably the Trans are even more historically notable than the LGB. This prominence of Transgender applies to the 1800s, the 1920s, and Stonewall Riots.



This relates to the "G". Today, Gay means a homosexually oriented male, contrasting Lesbian, a homosexually oriented female. However historically, the term "gay" signifies everyone in the emerging historical community, including − and maybe especially − Transgenders. The term comes from an era that didnt fully understand the difference between gender and orientation.

I wish there is term that specifies homosexual male, so as to allow the term "gay" to remain more historically inclusive. (By analogy of Greek "Lesbian", some have suggested "Achillean" for males. Heh, but for me, to refer to the "Achilles heal" is nonstarter. So I am still on the look out for a more specific term.)



Transgenders are founders of the modern LGBTQ+ movement and vital to its success and authenticity.

Transgenders are a universal phenomenon of humanity, known to exist in every human ethnicity for thousands of years.

Likely transgenders originate during paleolithic periods, 10s of 1000s of years ago.

When humans split up into masculine hunters and feminine gathers, there are females who venture off with the masculine group, and males who remain with the feminine group to look after children and care for the elderly. This admixture of gender strengthened the survival rate of the entire human species.

The human species evolves in a way to guarantee a transgender presence, every where, every time.

 

[Steampunkette]

Transgender People, not Transgenders. It is an adjective, not a noun.

Lesbian is a noun, but the rest are adjectives.

And your reasoning for splitting the LGB from the T certainly has logic to it. But it remains a bad idea that should not be supported or continued because it unintentionally supports a movement of hatred against Trans people.

I won't post examples, here, but just doing a google search on the topic will give you plenty of results showing you why you shouldn't split them off.

 

[Yaarel]

Transgender People, not Transgenders. It is an adjective, not a noun.

Lesbian is a noun, but the rest are adjectives.

There are dictionary examples of lesbian as an adjective. Hmmm, the same dictionaries said that to use transgender as a noun can be offensive, and some of its definitions themselves felt mildly offensive, such as "attempting" to be an other gender. Somehow, I didnt know the noun was problematic; I will be careful to avoid it in the future.

Do you feel the abbreviation "trans" can work as a noun?

And your reasoning for splitting the LGB from the T certainly has logic to it. But it remains a bad idea that should not be supported or continued because it unintentionally supports a movement of hatred against Trans people.

I won't post examples, here, but just doing a google search on the topic will give you plenty of results showing you why you shouldn't split them off.

The whole point of accumulating intials is to emphasize this community includes persons who are quite different from each other − and we need each other to survive. United we stand, divided we fall.

 

[Steampunkette]

Trans remains an adjective. Trans man, Trans woman. Trans person. Same as Cis. Cis man, Cis woman, Cis person.

It comes from Trans/Cis isomerism.

The "Whole Point" of "Accumulating Initials" is to find strength in numbers to press back against oppression. Not because we're "Unique" from each other, but because we are all, together, oppressed. Which is why A is for Asexual, not allies. Allies are not oppressed.

I am concerned, though. I feel like you've actively asked for insight from the LGBTQIA+ community for responses and critique of your decision to put a Pride flag into your game, but you have a rebuttal or denial of everything I've offered you as insight and critique, much of which ignores the main thrust of my critiques in order to make some wider sentimental point.

Is this in good faith, with intention to make changes or even discard the idea if the responses are negative, or do you intend to do what you were already considering, regardless of any pushback, and only soliciting positive feedback on your efforts?

 

[beancounter]

I don't see why it's necessary in a fantasy setting.

But if it's what you and your players like, it seems fine to me.

 

[Yaarel]

Trans remains an adjective. Trans man, Trans woman. Trans person. Same as Cis. Cis man, Cis woman, Cis person.

Ok. "Trans person" has few enough syllables. I can deal with that.

The "Whole Point" of "Accumulating Initials" is to find strength in numbers to press back against oppression. Not because we're "Unique" from each other, but because we are all, together, oppressed. Which is why A is for Asexual, not allies. Allies are not oppressed.

The Pride Flag is intentionally about wellbeing. Not oppression.

Symbols that explicitly oppose oppression, include the painful history of the Pink Triangle.

That said, today, the entire LGBTQIA+ is in danger. From a historical perspective, recent events remind one of preludes to mass crimes against humanity.

It is more important than ever that we support each other and defend each other.

I am concerned, though. I feel like you've actively asked for insight from the LGBTQIA+ community for responses and critique of your decision to put a Pride flag into your game, but you have a rebuttal or denial of everything I've offered you as insight and critique, much of which ignores the main thrust of my critiques in order to make some wider sentimental point.

Is this in good faith, with intention to make changes or even discard the idea if the responses are negative, or do you intend to do what you were already considering, regardless of any pushback, and only soliciting positive feedback on your efforts?

I am asking for the different perspectives from other members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

We must always support each other, and that includes supporting each others differences. We are intentionally nonmonolithic. Diversity and inclusiveness is our strength.

 

[Yaarel]

It occurs to me, a variant of the Rainbow Flag, the Progress Flag, specifies defying oppression. Its white, baby pink, and baby blue emphasize the presence of trangender persons, and its brown and black emphasize marginalized ethnicities.

 

[Imaculata]

My thoughts:

It seems odd to me that elves would have need for a pride flag, as I would expect elven culture to be far more accepting of diversity than human culture.

I do applaud such representation in D&D. But I think this is better done through including LGBTQ characters, and having it just be normal and accepted.

Also, why would a revelry have wizards fight to the death? Even if they are resurrected afterwards, a death is still a death, and not at all joyful. Can't they just have a mock duel, involving illusions and an elaborate stunt show?

But, bare in mind that I'm not LGBTQ, so my perspective may be different. In my own campaign, I deliberately showed how it wasn't always accepted, depending on the culture. I highlighted the lunacy of characters pretending to be someone they're not, and what pressure a person could be under to hide their true self due to social norms. Especially among royalty and the upper class. But most importantly, I made sure to include LGBTQ characters that were just as interesting and compelling as any other. I didn't want it to seem like I was simply checking boxes. I used such characters where they would fit, or would make for interesting drama.