The Sapphic Sanctuary
What is the sapphic flag?
The most common sapphic flag has two pink stripes with a white band across the middle and a violet flower in the center. The pink stands for love, and the violet nods to Sappho and to the old custom of women giving each other violets as a sign of affection.
Last updated: July 19, 2026
The violet is the part with the most history. In Sappho's poetry, lovers are described wearing garlands of violets, and later generations of women gave each other the flower to signal romantic interest. Putting it at the center of the flag ties the symbol straight back to the poet the word comes from.
The design is usually credited to a Tumblr user, lesbeux, in 2015, with a pair of violets in the middle. A 2017 version by the blog pride-color-schemes simplified it to a single violet, which is easier to draw and reproduce (LGBTQ Nation).
Sapphics who want a symbol broader than the lesbian-specific flag often reach for this one. See how it differs from the lesbian flag.