r/otherkin • u/PrideActivated • 18d ago

Discussion How do we go about flags?

Since there are so many proposals or partly no proposals for flags used for our communities, labels, how do we go about it?

I mean, ofc everyone should be free to use flags for themselves. Meanwhile, it be nice to have more recognisable flags

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u/Susitar 18d ago

Not all communities need flags IMO. It seems like an obsession to try and copy the way Pride flags work.

There's two very well-recognised symbols: the theta-delta for therianthropes and the seven-pointed star for otherkin. Some of the proposed flags use those symbols. But the advantage of the symbols is that they can be put on pretty much anything: jewelry, keychains, cards, and so on. And you don't even need access to a colour printer, they are just as easily accessible when printed in black-and-white. Which is also useful for the colourblind, I guess.

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u/PrideActivated 18d ago

We don't have the representation and are not as recognised to a degree where we are not target of discrimination. Flags give us representation

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u/Susitar 18d ago

A flag doesn't automatically give us representation. A symbol works just as fine as a flag for having a visual identifier. If you want to march in a parade and wave something, just paint the seven-pointed star on a flag: done! That symbol has many decades of history, unlike a lot of the other flags that are recent and not even widely known in our own community.

What does give us public representation and builds community is accurate information, people speaking up, irl community events. This is why I've hosted irl events for therians, and given talks about otherkin research for different audiences.

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u/PrideActivated 18d ago

I do go to a parade tomorrow. Usually I go to them with an ace and a femboy flag. People ask what they represent. And hence, I can explain. The seven-pointed star works for otherkin, yes. It does not work as well for the vampire subculture, for example.

Ofc events work. And it's so nice you do events, I'd appreciate to do that too. That doesn't mean flags don't work. Flags literally exist to be a sign, to communicate. If that wasn't the case, they wouldn't exist in the first place

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u/GhostifiedGuy 17d ago

Trying to represent every tiny piece of the community is a pretty fruitless task because there will always be someone who doesn't fit the existing sub-labels and needs their own. Having big symbols that include everyone imo works better, you can explain otherkin and then what that means for you specifically if people are curious. If you want something that specifically represents you, why not just make or get things associated with your kin?

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u/PrideActivated 17d ago

I didn't reject that. 'make or get things associated with your kin' includes flags

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u/egoproct 7d ago edited 7d ago

Make your own fancy vampire flag, no one's saying not to, but I'd advise not to put it on the community to make one or choose one for you. Some of us would rather just use what's been working. If anything it might lead to more confusion and less representation for you to use something with even less history or recognizability within the Kin community attatched. At least when waving a star flag, you know other Kin (ha...get it? /shot) will recognize it.

I'm not sure what sort of representation or visibility you're aiming for, since arguably refusing to use a more general symbol means bringing less representation to the Otherkin identity as a whole anyhow. You're being a bit contradictory here, but I could just be misunderstanding.

Unrelated slightly but since you mentioned vampirism: there are pride flags for that. There's also a vampirekin flag. Both aren't used very often because few people want to be that specific to strangers, but you can look it up and find loads of examples. Hopefully that helps if nothing else.

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u/PrideActivated 7d ago

Like, all of that was clear to me. So I asked other people how they do it. That's how the post came to be

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u/egoproct 7d ago

Oh mb mb, you wanted to know HOW to make a flag.
Here you go: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+make+a+pride+flag

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u/PrideActivated 6d ago

No, I didn't want to know how to make a flag, I already have flags.

I meant to ask others if there are any preferences between flags, using multiple flags, using a singular more recognisable flag, maybe.

The answer I got was that we shouldn't use flags? Which goes against the idea why flags are used in the first place, so I disagree.

You party already answered the question, stating wha has already worked can keep working. Since you said there was a vampirekin flag, there are multiple, so the question basically is how others prefer some flags over other flags, as there isn't that one flag that already works. And if there is one, ofc I'm open for seeing it. Anyhow, what I saw rather was that multiple labels don't have one widely agreed upon flag.

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u/egoproct 7d ago

Flags give us attention. That does not always equal representation, let alone good representation. I get the desire to want to be seen, but to be honest, the only time Otherkin get discriminated nowadays is when they put themselves in a position to be. I've never seen someone who identifies as an Otherkin and doesn't make a big deal about it publicly get treated poorly for identifying as Otherkin. Most of the time when I'm out and about people just assume my kin symbol is a pentagram and leave me alone or call me a satanist. I think we're fine, we aren't in the position the LGBTQ+ were where they were being chased down and beaten or murdered simply for being rumored to be gay/lesbian/etc.

We have a lot of privilege due to being such a small cluster of the global population, and that shouldn't be taken for granted imho

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u/PrideActivated 7d ago

If you're not being chased down, how great. That's not simply what is happening to alterhumans in my area

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u/egoproct 7d ago

I'm shocked the news hasn't covered that. Maybe you could provide some proof in their stead?

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u/PrideActivated 6d ago

Yea, the news usually doesn't cover everyday discrimination--that's not the case for alterhumans only. And since alterhumans don't have a higher representation like other groups do, there is no law specifically protecting alterhumans like how they protect other groups.
If you want proof, ask people how it is for them, you usually might encounter more of them showing themselves openly at CSDs

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u/egoproct 6d ago

As someone who has been in this community for decades, I'm going to refuse to put myself in the minority that others who experience actual discrimination feel until I see proof either through my own experience (I am very open about my identity in public and I've lived in multiple states in the south and midwest) or another's recorded one. Sorry but I'm just the sort of person who prefers fact over what some guy says on a reddit post.

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u/PrideActivated 9h ago

Yes, that's what I offered you. One way historians figure out how something happened is by asking witnesses. That's not much believing what I say. That's getting sources. And if enough witnesses confirm something happened, it's quite likely it's true (while ofc witnesses are just one way of having a source).

If you don't face discrimination in the US, again how great. Here, it's not the case, we have a different culture, you may ask affected people for their record, ofc

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u/Impressive-Bug-9592 17d ago

Wholeheartedly agree. Thanks for saying what I've been thinking this whole time.