A Guide to the Aromantic Flag: Meaning, Colors & More

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All about the aromantic flag and what it means to be aromantic
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Aromanticism is a romantic orientation that describes those who feel a lack of romantic attraction toward other people. Like other groups within the LGBTQ+ community, aromantic (or “aro”) people have their very own pride flag that’s known for its green, white, gray, and black stripes. In this article, we’ll break down exactly what this flag represents while also taking a closer look at what it means to be aromantic.

Things You Should Know

  • The aromantic flag features 5 horizontal stripes that are dark green, light green, white, gray, and black.
  • Aromanticism refers to a lack of romantic attraction toward others. It’s a romantic orientation that exists on a spectrum.
  • Asexuality refers to a lack of sexual attraction toward other people. It’s a completely separate identity from aromanticism.
Section 1 of 3:

Aromantic Flag

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  1. It’s made up of 5 horizontal stripes, with each stripe color carrying a different meaning. Here’s a closer look at what each stripe symbolizes:
    • Dark green: Aromanticism (as a whole)
    • Light green: Aromantic spectrum
    • White: Aesthetic and platonic attraction; queerplatonic relationships
    • Gray: Aromantic and demiromantic identities
    • Black: The spectrum of sexuality (as a whole)
    • Did You Know? This version of the aromantic flag was designed in November 2014 and is the third version of the flag. [1]
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Section 2 of 3:

What does aromantic mean?

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  1. Aromanticism exists on a spectrum—some aromantic (or “aro”) individuals might experience romantic attraction in specific circumstances, while other people never experience romantic attraction at all. There’s no right or wrong way to be aro, and every identity on the aromantic spectrum is valid! [2]
    • Aromanticism is considered a romantic orientation (as opposed to a sexual orientation) since it relates to a person’s romantic attraction.
    • Demiromantic is a pretty common aromantic identity—it refers to an individual who only experiences romantic attraction after an emotional bond has formed. [3]
    • Wondering if you could aromantic? Check out wikiHow’s Am I Aromantic quiz to take a closer look.
  2. The LGBTQ+ is a diverse and welcoming place for people who are judged and even persecuted for who they are, who they love, and how they love. Although aro individuals may not experience the same struggles and challenges as other members of the LGBTQ+ family, they very much belong in the community. [4]
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Section 3 of 3:

Aromantic vs. Asexual

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  1. Asexuality refers to a lack of sexual attraction for others. Like aromanticism, asexuality exists on a spectrum—some asexual (“ace”) people might never experience sexual attraction, while others might feel sexual attraction in specific circumstances. [5]
    • Asexuality is considered a sexual orientation since relates to sexual attraction (or a lack thereof).
    • The asexual flag is made up of horizontal black, gray, white, and purple stripes. The colors symbolize asexuality, gray-sexuality and demisexuality, sexuality (as a whole), and community, respectively. [6]
    • Demisexual individuals only experience sexual attraction when an emotional bond is previously established, while gray-ace individuals identify somewhere between asexual and allosexual (experiencing sexual attraction). [7]
    • Wondering if you might be asexual or demisexual? Take a deeper dive with wikiHow’s Am I Asexual and Am I Demisexual quizzes.
  2. Aromanticism and asexuality are completely separate identities that relate to different types of attraction. [8] It’s completely valid to identify with both labels (and some people definitely do)—after all, there isn’t a right or wrong way to be ace or aro! [9]
    • There isn’t an official aromantic and asexual flag currently. [10] Some people choose to represent their AroAce identity with an orange-, gold-, white-, blue-, and black-striped flag, while other people prefer designs that are a hybrid of the original aro and ace pride flags. [11]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.unco.edu/gender-sexuality-resource-center/resources/pride-flags.aspx
      2. ↑ https://www.oulgbtq.org/what-do-asexual-aromantic-mean.html
      3. ↑ https://equity.ok.ubc.ca/pride-flags/
      4. ↑ https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/5-things-you-should-know-about-aromantic-people
      5. ↑ https://www.oulgbtq.org/what-do-asexual-aromantic-mean.html
      6. ↑ https://equity.ok.ubc.ca/pride-flags/
      7. ↑ https://lgbtq.unc.edu/resources/exploring-identities/asexuality-attraction-and-romantic-orientation/
      8. ↑ https://www.oulgbtq.org/what-do-asexual-aromantic-mean.html
      9. ↑ https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/5-things-you-should-know-about-aromantic-people
      1. ↑ https://www.prideflags.org/
      2. ↑ https://asexuals.fandom.com/wiki/AroAce

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