Semicolon tattoo
A semicolon tattoo is the sign of Project Semicolon, a mental-health and suicide-prevention movement begun in the United States in 2013. A semicolon marks the place where a writer could have ended a sentence and chose not to; wearers use it to say that their life, like the sentence, isn’t over.
Meaning
Amy Bleuel started Project Semicolon in April 2013, when she asked anyone who had struggled with a mental illness to draw a semicolon on their wrist and post a photo (The Washington Post). In Project Semicolon’s own words: “A semicolon is used when an author could’ve chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you, and the sentence is your life.” People who have struggled with mental illness wear it as a tattoo or draw it on the wrist. In the United States, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free and confidential: call, text or chat 988, at any hour.
Origin and history
Project Semicolon’s history says the movement took off when Bleuel shared a photo of her own semicolon tattoo on social media, and grew into an international campaign for mental health awareness, suicide prevention and support. The organisation became a nonprofit in 2015 and opened its first office in Wisconsin. It describes its purpose as presenting hope to people experiencing the symptoms of mental illness, and supporting those who love and care for them.
Why a semicolon
The mark is chosen for what it does in a sentence. The Washington Post put it simply: a semicolon meant that a sentence wasn’t over yet, and neither was the wearer’s life. Project Semicolon’s history calls it a pause, not an end.
Where you’ll see it
On the wrist, where Bleuel asked people to draw the first ones in 2013. The organisation has also carried it further: its logo went on a NASCAR race car in 2016, and in 2022 a semicolon badge in the video game Apex Legends, made with Respawn Entertainment, came with information on mental health and suicide prevention.
Calling or texting 988
In the United States, anyone can call, text or chat 988 at any hour. SAMHSA, the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, describes 988 as round-the-clock, judgment-free support for mental health, substance use and more; Congress designated the number in 2020. The Lifeline says the service is free and confidential and that people do not have to be suicidal to call. Pressing 1 after dialling 988 reaches the Veterans Crisis Line; pressing 2 reaches a Spanish-speaking counsellor, who can also be texted by sending AYUDA to 988.
See also
Sigils, Schrödinger’s cat, Infinity symbol (∞), Autism infinity symbol, Neurodiversity symbol.
Sources
- ‘And your story will live on’: Remembering Amy Bleuel, mental health advocate and founder of Project Semicolon, Colby Itkowitz, 30 March 2017, The Washington Post
- Our History, Project Semicolon (Internet Archive copy, 18 April 2025; the organisation’s site was offline when checked in September 2026), Project Semicolon
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Get Help, 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
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Last reviewed September 30, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research