What is a ‘Bambi lesbian’ and how is the term related to asexuality?
Some proposed designs for a Bambi Lesbian Pride Flag. (Tumblr user wuvsbian)
Bambi lesbian sounds like a very adorable addition to the lesbian dictionary, but what does it really mean?
The term instantly brings to mind cute images of the 1942 Disney film, Bambi, with the animated, shy, stumbling young fawn wandering around, blinking innocently.
We’ve recently been taking a tour of the LGBTQ+ dictionary, and looking at various lesbian identities. So, alongside the U-Haul lesbian, pillow princess, golden retriever lesbian, and GNC lesbian – where does the Bambi lesbian fit in? Let’s find out.
What is a ‘Bambi lesbian’?
The term refers to a lesbian who prefers other forms of affection over sexual acts.
The individual is more drawn towards less overtly sexual expressions of love and romance, for instance, cuddles, kisses and hugs.
The gay equivalent is a ‘Bambi gay’. The bisexual equivalent is a ‘squirrel bi’. The pansexual equivalent is Fox Pan and the asexual equivalent is Rat Ace.
Are Bambi lesbians asexual?
Due to preferring cuddles to sex, the label’s relationship to the asexual spectrum and asexuality is often discussed.
However, it’s important to establish that not all Bambi lesbians are asexual; there is not an automatic link between Bambi lesbians and asexuals, but many asexual sapphics do identify with the Bambi lesbian term.
The asexual spectrum, or asexual umbrella, refers to a sexual orientation where the individual can completely lack or feel very little sexual attraction.
Where does the term come from?
Though it may sound like a recent term, the label is thought to have roots in the 1980s.
An experience of being a Bambi lesbian is described in the second edition of The Alyson Almanac.
In this book, “Bambi-sexuality” is referred to as: “Physical interaction centered more about touching, kissing, and caressing than around genital sexuality.”
The Alyson Almanac, published in 1990, holds a treasury of information for the gay and lesbian community in its pages.
What is the ‘Bambi lesbian’ Flag?
Though there is not one single, official flag, many in the community have created them.
One of the most common BL pride flags was created by Tumblr user wuvsbian in March 2018.
“I decided to try my hand at making a Bambi lesbian flag!” they posted on Tumblr.
“I just couldn’t stop thinking about how cute pink and brown would be together. The brown represents the deer, obviously, while the pink I thought was important because it would represent the love between women.”
They also posted sample pride flags with varied images of deer layered on top.
A simplified version of the flag was created in May 2021. The flag was created by FANDOM user Unfunny person420:
This new flag uses 5 stripes, reduced from the 2018 Bambi lesbian flag which has 7 stripes.
