Flag proposal 2009

A flag representing social movement for the understanding of erotic attractions and relationships involving youth and adults is currently being formed. Participants from the BL/GL (CL) communities and allies from non-oriented sites such as Newgon.com will use the flag (and the accompanying symbol, if viable) to spearhead the awareness campaign.

The Proposals Stage is nearing a conclusion, and the Voting Stage is next in line.

Voting

The submissions we have received are not final ideas, but concepts that will be worked on once they are chosen. In this sense, choosing a concept should be a matter of potential rather than superficial features (colour, finish, etc) of the blueprint. The concept will be chosen by a simple vote held on a number of related forums, with one vote and one reserve (tie-breaker) vote allocated to each registered screen name, and no one individual may vote on two or more different sites.

Candidates

These are the concepts which may be voted for.

Name	Design	Description	Pros	Cons
Abstract		Abstract art does not depict objects in the natural world, but instead uses color and form in a non-representational way.	Unique	Not a very simple or easily recognisable concept Difficult to reproduce
AmaroSymbol		AP's simple design was used extensively on his now offline websites, but rarely elsewhere. A diamond incorporating two equally sized triangles symbolises union between two divided groups of people.	This simple and attractive design is easy to reproduce, and builds upon existing themes.	Lacks symbolism beyond existent social groups
CLogo		The CLogo is a traditional childlove symbol. It depicts a butterfly whose wings are formed by four hearts. Two are larger than the other two representing the adult and the child. Two are pink and the other two blue representing the masculine and feminine.	Symbol widely accepted as associated to childlove and past movements	Already associated with a narrowly defined movement Difficult to reproduce
Diagonal Stripes		The tricolor diagonal stripes attempts to represent all aspects of the erotic. The color pink represents the feminine, blue for the masculine, and white both for the purity of these and for all those not included in the two categories of CL expression.	Evolution on the tricolor design, more distinct and original. Simple to produce, and not affiliated with any symbolism that may cause conflict.	May be too simple, stale or plain.
Dolphin		The dolphin is typically free spirited and thought to be very happy animals that have fun.	A new and recognisable symbolism that embraces new perspectives
Five-Pointed Star		The golden five-pointed star, a five-pointed star with points of equal length and angles of 36° at each point, is a very common ideogram throughout the (especially Western) world. It could also represent the four cardinal directions plus up (toward the aether).	Simple concept
Heart		The heart is commonly associated with love, and for a long time has referred to the spiritual, emotional, moral, and intellectual core of the human being.	Easily recognised universally as a sign of love Covers love from all beings and in all forms rather than restricting to defined parametres of acceptance	May be too general; not unique to our cause The heart may be considered slightly feminine by some and the girllove symbol uses hearts (as opposed to boylove's triangles)
Horizontal Stripes		This concept takes the idea of three stripes to cover all perspectives of the erotic, and rotates it to orient horizontally with the aim being flexibility.	Great flexibility that allows for integration of almost any extra symbolism
Human Embrace		The focus of this design is a simple, cross-generational embrace.	Can be interpreted as the beholder sees fit.	Atypical design and production properties for a flag.
Phoenix		The phoenix is a mythical bird who lives up to a thousand years, near the end of which ignites into flames. The remaining ashes form a new, young phoenix, and the cycle goes on. The bird regenerates when wounded by a foe, thus being almost invincible. The tears of the phoenix can also heal a person and make them temporarily immune to death. Applied to the movement, it can be seen as a new era of freedom born from the ashes of the old via burning passion.	Demonstrates the new rising up to replace the old	Not a very simple or easily recognisable concept May be difficult to distinguish between phoenix and similar birds such as the eagle (a popular bird on several states' coats of arms) Could easily be misinterpretted as the "Chickenhawk" flag
Rainbow		The original Rainbow Flag was designed by the LGBT and has been used to convey one message: "diversity." The rainbow consists of many equal stripes of different colours across the visual spectrum, representing different individuals coming together harmoniously.	Depicts similarity and relation to LGBT Buffs the message of "diversity" with more diversity	Consists of many colours, making material production more expensive May increase tension between LGBT and our groups unless diplomatic solutions may be reached May be confused with LGBT, and not all of us identify as homosexual
Rectangles		A rectangle consists of four 90° angles, representing the four corners of a given space (e.g. the world). A rectangle can be divided equally into two triangles, which have their own symbolism.	Simple concept Rectangles may appear stable	Lacks much relevant meaning Rectangles may appear rigid
Ribbon		Pieces of ribbon are used as symbols of support or awareness for various social causes and are called "awareness ribbons."	Fits in with other awareness ribbons	Would probably work better as an actual ribbon object than an image on a flag
Sea Star		The starfish symbolises versatility and the replicating power of warmth and mentorship between the generations.	A new and recognisable symbolism that embraces new perspectives
Spiral		A spiral is a curve which emanates from a central point, getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point. It can symbolise a progressive cycle, evolution and continual change.	Simple concept	May be too simple, stale or plain
Star & Stripes		The four-pointed star represents the four cardinal directions; a sense of expansion. The two inner stripes represent masculine and feminine aspects while the outer stripes represent unity of said aspects.	Demonstrates a fine balance of different perspectives
Stuffed Bears		Stuffed bears are an enduring, traditional form of stuffed animal, often serving the purpose of comforting children.	Associates with the comfort and care of children	Not a very simple design for a flag
Sun		The Sun has long been revered as one of the most important entities in the world. It symbolises hope, power and the light of truth, sometimes being referred to as "the all-seeing."	Simple concept	Not an easily recognisable concept
Taijitu		The Taijitu (literally "diagram of the supreme ultimate") is a well known Taoist symbol representing the principle of yin yang - seemingly opposing forces that are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn.	Demonstrates harmony between different aspects	May be confused with traditional Taoist symbolism May cause the symbol to suffer the same fate as the swastika in the Western world
Triangles		Incorporating the spectrum of colour used to convey diversity, one triangle inside another symbolises inter-generational relationships.	The symbol stands alone and can be easily developed into a flag. One possibility is a pennant design with more balance than the image used here.	The symbolism could be seen as excluding, stereotyping and undermining the sexuality of youths. The boylove symbol uses triangles (as opposed to girllove's hearts).
Vertical Stripes		The vertical stripes attempt to represent all aspects of the erotic. The color pink represents the feminine, blue for the masculine, and white both for the purity of these and for all those who do not identify with a set category of expression.	Simple to produce	May be too simple, stale or plain Too similar to the flags of various countries, could lead to mistaken attribution

Variation Submissions

Most of the concepts submitted already have two or more possible variations that the organisers will take into account when finalising the design.

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  AmaroSymbol 2
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  AmaroSymbol 3
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  AmaroSymbol 4
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  Diagonal Stripes 2
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  Diagonal Stripes 3
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  Dolphin 2
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  Heart 2
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  Heart 3
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  Heart 4
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  Horisontal Stripes 2
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  Horisontal Stripes 3
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  Horisontal Stripes 4
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  Horisontal Stripes 5
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  Phoenix 1
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  Phoenix 2
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  Phoenix 3
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  Phoenix 4
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  Phoenix 5
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  Phoenix 6
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  Rainbow 2
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  Rainbow 3
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  Rectangles 1
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  Rectangles 2
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  Rectangles 3
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  Rectangles 4
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  Sea Star 2
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  Sea Star 3
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  Sea Star 4
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  Sea Star 5
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  Sea Star 6
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  Sea Star 7
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  Sea Star 8
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  Sea Star 9
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  Sea Star 10
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  Sea Star 11
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  Sea Star 12
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  Sea Star 13
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  Sea Star 14
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  Sea Star 15
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  Sea Star 16
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  Sea Star 17
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  Sea Star 18
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  Sea Star 19
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  Sea Star 20
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  Sea Star 21
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  Spiral 2
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  Stuffed Bears 2
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  Stuffed Bears 3
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  Sun 2
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  Sun 3
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  Taijitu 2
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  Taijitu 3
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  Vertical Stripes 2

Results

The following online communities were, or will be consulted at each stage of the process:

• Ipce. Results:
• BoyChat. Results:
• GirlChat (annabelleigh.net). Results:
• Visions of Alice. Results:
• Littleboylover. Results:
• BoyLover.net. Results:
• BoyLove International Support Society. Results:
• BoyMoment. Results:

The future

1. It has been suggested that the chosen flag/symbol be used in forming a new website/awareness campaign. This website could act as a community portal, displaying links to websites who add a prominent link to their own site, using an icon developed from the flag. Whilst the homepage would only list websites that champion a political cause, participant communities would still be linked from a second index. The idea is to improve political awareness and participation.

1a. It has also been suggested that a website as described above would be particularly useful for increasing and sharing media and public liaison with admins of participant sites. It would allow administrators to better understand and organise the discussions taking place within their community and with other parties. It is possible that an invitation-only private forum could be developed for such a purpose.