This is my proposal for a Disability Pride Flag

[capri0mni]

[Image description: A black flag diagonally crossed from the top of the hoist to the bottom of the fly by a four-color "Lightning bolt" in stripes of blue, gold, green and red (three long sections running from hoist to fly, alternating with two short sections from fly to hoist), Description ends]

My “Artist’s Statement” about this Flag:

1) The black field:

Black has three significant meanings:

First: the color of mourning for all those disabled people who have been murdered in the name of “mercy.”

Second: the color of the pirates’ “Jolly Roger” flag, representing our determination to steal our lives back from those public (and private) ‘authorities,’ who use their power in an attempt keep us marginalized.

Third: A reference to the Nazi Black Triangle badge, which was used to identify those whom the Nazis considered “antisocial“ and which has been adopted in Britain to protest the government’s austerity measures against the Disabled.

2) The “Lightning Bolt” motif:

Diagonal lines have been traditionally used in the flags of former colonies, to represent breaking free from colonial powers (empire nations tend to have flags dominated by horizontal and vertical lines). And Disabled people’s lives have long been ‘colonized’ by the medical, religious, and educational establishments.

The zigzag shape represents how the Disabled people must continually navigate around the structural and attitudinal barriers erected throughout normate society, and also the creative, ‘lateral,’ thinking we have to use to solve problems each day.

3) The individual colors represent broad categories of disabilities:

Blue: mental illness disabilities

Yellow: Cognitive and intellectual disabilities

Green: Sensory perception disabilities

Red: Physical disabilities

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So -- would you fly this flag? I really am curious.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Hi there, came over from the Rolling Around in My Head blog. I like a lot of things about this design, the black background, the zigzag, the simplicity... but I have one problem. I wish there were an additional line for chronic illness. Now, I realize that chronic illness can often be counted under either physical disability or mental illness, but I know that a lot of chronically ill people don't even feel addressed when someone just says "disability" (the services for disabled students here are called "services for disabled and chronically ill students" because otherwise many chronically ill students won't use them). Now, I'm chronically ill and I definitely feel addressed when people say disabled, but it's taken me a long time to reach that point, and when you say "physical disability" I just don't think of chronic illness. So even though I know I'm meant to be included in this flag design, I just don't feel included.

[capri0mni]

Hi there!

Thanks for your response!

So: Another stripe seems in order. But what color?

There's white (which is the last of the six "Standard" flag colors, and the only one I haven't already used...

Or... how about "transparent" (in other words, a black stripe), in between the green and gold? To represent (and protest) the fact that chronic illness is treated as though it's invisible?

Or should I break free from the standard color set, and choose a different color -- gray, perhaps?

[(Anonymous)]

I'm glad you're taking my feedback! I don't know anything about flag design, but since many pride flags (for example the rainbow flag, the bi pride flag, the trans pride flag...) contain additional colours to the standard colours you mentioned I'm not sure it's important in this case.

So, what colour? I'm not sure about white, which I tend to associate with purity, absence, death or surrender, and none of these colours make sense. The idea of keeping it in black is interesting, but at the same time it sets it apart quite a bit, I'm not sure I like that. How about purple? It combines the colours of physical disability and mental illness and many people with chronic illnesses see their mental health affected as well as their physical abilities. By the same token, you could also go with orange because a lot of people with chronic illnesses experience memory and concentration problems. Also, I like purple and orange.

Of course, these are only my humble suggestions, maybe finding a few more people with chronic illnesses to talk to would be a good idea.

[capri0mni]

since many pride flags (for example the rainbow flag, the bi pride flag, the trans pride flag...) contain additional colours to the standard colours you mentioned I'm not sure it's important in this case.

Well, this is true. :-)

I'm not sure about white

Yeah... me neither. In flags, it's also the color of surrender, which... No!

How about purple? It combines the colours of physical disability and mental illness

Now, there's an idea! It's also a good color for contrast and visibility.

maybe finding a few more people with chronic illnesses to talk to would be a good idea.

True, that. I have several spoonie followers on my tumblr dash. I'll open the question up to them.

Again, thanks for your feedback!

[(Anonymous)]

If you continue the discussion on tumblr, I'd love to follow. What's your tumblr name? Mine is strangestructures.tumblr.com

[capri0mni]

Nifty! I'll follow you...

My Tumblr handle is AegipanOmicorn.tumblr.com.


ETA: Here's the link to my primary flag discussion thread:

https://aegipanomnicorn.tumblr.com/post/153573500833/kick-a-disability-pride-flag-lets-do-this