Sapphic / WLW

An umbrella term for women (and feminine-aligned people) attracted to other women, regardless of whether they also experience attraction to other genders.

Definition

An umbrella term for women (and feminine-aligned people) attracted to other women, regardless of whether they also experience attraction to other genders. Encompasses lesbians, bisexual women, pansexual women, queer women, and feminine-aligned non-binary people. WLW (Women Loving Women) is used similarly.

Flag

Sapphic / WLW flag

Two equal horizontal stripes, violet and white, with a violet flower centered on the white stripe.

Stripe	HEX	RGB	CMYK	Pantone	Meaning
Top stripe	`#7B2D8B`	123,45,139	C:12 M:68 Y:0 K:45	n/a	Women-loving-women history; Sappho; violet flowers
Bottom stripe	`#FFFFFF`	255,255,255	C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:0	n/a	All sapphic identities; space for all
Center flower	`#7B2D8B`	123,45,139	C:12 M:68 Y:0 K:45	n/a	The violet flower; Sappho's poetry

Full flag history →

Etymology

From Sappho (c. 630-570 BCE), the Greek poet of Lesbos whose work described erotic love between women.

History

"Sapphic" in the sense of female same-sex love has been in academic and literary use since the 19th century. Its adoption as a community identity label accelerated on social media in the 2010s alongside "achillean" - functioning as a more inclusive umbrella where "lesbian" might be too narrow, including bisexual, pansexual, and non-binary people without requiring a specific label.