After the NHS was accused of ‘woke pandering’ over the LGBTQ+ banner, do you know your Epicene from your Demiflux or your Amicagender from your Genderpuck in MailOnline’s handy interactive guide to all 72 flags?
We all know the famous ‘rainbow flag’ created in 1978 by American artist Gilbert Baker to honor members of the gay and lesbian community.
The original version consisted of eight symbolic colors to evoke a rainbow as a symbol of hope: pink (sex), red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sunlight), green (nature), turquoise (magic) , indigo (serenity) and violet (spirit).
A year later, the pink and turquoise colors were dropped due to a shortage of fabric, resulting in the recognizable six-color flag we see today.
But there are now colorful flags for all 72 individual genera, some of which feature striking designs and unusual symbols.
One of the lesser known identities is Astergender for non-binary genders who feel ‘bright and heavenly’.
The flag shows a yellow star with the male, female and gender fluid icons.
Vertical pink, purple, black, gray and white colored stripes with a cartoonish eyeball in the center adorn another flag for those who identify as Epicene.
It is accompanied by a strong feeling that you cannot identify with either of the two genders of the binary gender or with both binary gender characteristics.
So do you know your Epicene from your Demiflux? What about your Affectugender from your Genderpuck?
MailOnline has created a handy interactive guide to all 72 gender flags as the NHS faces accusations of ‘woke pandering’ after an LGBTQ+ banner was unfurled at the Royal Stoke Hospital.
Hover over each flag below to learn more about each identity and a full description of their meaning.
We all know the famous ‘rainbow flag’ (pictured) created in 1978 by American artist Gilbert Baker to honor members of the gay and lesbian community
Yesterday, NHS bosses were accused of ‘woke pandering’ after releasing a banner featuring flags for 21 genders or sexualities.
The Royal Stoke Hospital banner includes several terms for those who do not consider themselves to be of any gender, or are a combination of both.
The well-known Gay Pride flag, with a rainbow, appears on the banner alongside a selection of lesser-known identities, such as polysexual, demiromantic and genderqueer. The flag collection is entitled ‘Everyone is welcome here’.
Patients at the hospital in Stoke-on-Trent have expressed outrage at the banner, with one telling The Sun: ‘People are waiting months and even years for treatment but the NHS is more interested in waking up than caring for patients, it seems. ‘
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust – considered one of the worst performing in the country – said the flag allows patients to ‘be themselves’.
The trust added that the banner shows support for LGBTQ+ communities ahead of Pride month in June.
Jane Haire, Chief People Officer of UHNM, said: ‘We understand that different individuals have different views on symbols and flags used to represent different identities, but this banner symbolizes our commitment to achieving a more inclusive organization where both colleagues when the people we care for are encouraged to be themselves.”
A banner with flags for 21 genders or sexualities will appear at the Royal Stoke Hospital
The new banner comes after an NHS hospital was criticized last year for including 18 gender options on a patient form.
In November last year, NHS doctors also found themselves faced with a new ‘nonsensical’ form they were asked to complete, which required them to tick whether patients had a penis or a vagina.
The form included questions about sexual orientation, gender, sex assigned at birth, preferred pronouns, whether they have transitioned and if so to what extent, and whether they have plans to change gender in the future.
Doctors were asked to fill in which “organs the patient currently has,” “organs that were present at birth,” “organs that have been surgically enhanced or constructed,” and “organs that have been hormonally enhanced,” according to the Telegraph.
Doctors were given a list of possible organs the patient has, including a penis, vagina, uterus, cervix, breasts, prostate, testicles and ovaries.
But some contributors have described the forms as ‘insane’, ‘bizarre’ and ‘nonsensical’ from a scientific point of view.
