This Lesbian Visibility Week, we take a look back at the origins of what it means to be a sapphic
BY SOPHIA GRACE, IMAGE BY 2DESIGN
Sapphic is an umbrella term that’s often used by women who are attracted to other women, but it doesn’t strictly apply to lesbians. It can be used by bisexuals, pansexuals or those who have different gender identities.
The Island of what?
We can trace the word “sapphic” back to ancient Greece and the Island of Lesbos where the poet Sappho lived there during the 7th century BCE. Sappho wrote poetry that expressed her love and desire for women, a major reason why the term lesbian was adopted from her home town.
The term bisexual didn’t come into popularity until the 1970s, so before then lesbian and sapphic were used to describe romantic relationships between women.
Sapphic can also refer to any person who identifies with femininity and is attracted to women or women-aligned people.
Is the term inclusive?
The word sapphic has been considered an inclusive term that simply put means anyone who doesn’t identify as a man who loves a woman.
The term sapphic provides more fluidity and can be used to describe the vibe, romance and attraction that comes with loving women.
Jessica Venske, 21, from London, says that from seeing her queer friends in women-loving women relationships, she feels that there is a deeper level of connection with feelings and emotions. “There’s a stronger sense of emotional connection, women can sense things and some things don’t needed to be said because they can just feel it.”
Is there a sapphic flag?
So now you know a little more about what sapphic means, I bet you’re wondering “How do I show people I’m sapphic?”
Like other sexualities, there’s a sapphic flag which is white with two pink stripes on the top and bottom that symbolise love. In the middle, there are two violets which have historically been given between women to symbolise their sapphic love for one another.
In the 1927 Broadway play The Captive by Edouard Bourdet which follows two lesbian characters, one gives the other a bouquet of violets to express their love. The play received public uproar but soon after the violet became associated with lesbianism and is now used in relation to the term sapphic.
The original sapphic flag was made by Tumblr user @esbeux-moved on 14 August 2015 and the most recent version was made by Devianart user @pride-flags on 10 Sep 2016.
Am I sapphic?
If you relate to some aspects of being sapphic then you might be.
The term could be useful for someone who might be new to identifying as queer or not entirely sure how they identify yet. 21-year-old Hannah Ranger from Southhampton, says: “Sapphic might be a useful term for someone like me who’s like a confused little girl when it comes to my sexuality.”
Ultimately, identifying as sapphic is down to the individual person and their experiences. It might be a new way for you to identify and understand yourself better or just a new word to add to your personal dictionary of inclusive terminology.
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