The use of this symbol dates back even prior to Michael Page’s creation of the first Bisexual Pride Flag in 1998. When the inverted pink triangle is drawn with an inverted blue triangle to create a smaller purple triangle in the middle, it becomes a symbol of bisexuality. When the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT-UP) was founded in 1987, they used the inverted pink triangle as its logo to represent “active fight back” against HIV/AIDS rather than “passive resignation to fate.” 10. The symbol has since been reclaimed as a symbol of Pride and remembrance of the horrors that gay men experienced in Nazi Germany. Over the course of the second world war, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 homosexuals were incarcerated. The pink triangle symbol was first used by the Nazis to identify homosexuals in their concentration camps. If you take the traditional transgender symbol and draw a raised fist within the circle, it will transform into a symbol for trans feminism.Īctivist and academe Emi Koyama explained that transfeminism is “a movement by and for trans women who view their liberation to be intrinsically linked to the liberation of all women and beyond.” 9. The cross of the tail or the symbol of Venus was used to symbolize women, and the arrow, or the symbol of Mars for males. Both symbols for pansexuality are sometimes combined through a three-colored P symbol. Pansexual Symbolīefore pansexuals used their three-colored flag (bearing the colors pink, yellow, and blue), they first used a P symbol with an arrow and a cross-tail to represent their identity. Activist and writer Holly Boswell designed the symbol in 1993.Īnother version takes the traditional transgender symbol and strikes it with a slanted line to include transgenders who identify as neither male nor female. The first version of the transgender symbol takes a single circle bearing both Mars and Venus symbols, along with a third symbol that combines the two. Just like the double Mars, the symbol for lesbian pride takes the Venus symbol, used to denote the female sex, and doubles it.īefore the 1970s, the interlocking female glyphs were also used by feminists to symbolize the sisterhood of women, so the lesbian pride symbol would sometimes have a third Venus symbol to distinguish it from the feminist insignia. Traditionally, the symbol is drawn in plain black, but more recent versions depict the double mars with the rainbow colors filled in to symbolize the gays’ fraternity or solidarity with other subsectors of the community. The community started using the double interlocking Mars symbol in the 1970s to represent males who are attracted to other males – sexually, romantically, or both. In astrology, science, and sociology, the Mars symbol is used to denote the male sex. The International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh formally adopted the symbol as an icon for gay and lesbian rights in 1974. The symbolism draws from the significance of lambda in science – a complete exchange of energy – that moment or span of time witness to absolute activity. The different groups within the LGBTQ community may have different experiences, but there are two things shared by every LGBTQ member who has ever lived: oppression, and the struggle to rise above it.Ī year after the Stonewall riots, graphic designer Tom Doerr chose the lower-case Greek letter to denote the community’s unified fight against oppression. To increase visibility for each sub-sector and sub-culture, different flags have been designed such as the bisexual flag, a lipstick lesbian flag, a pansexual flag, and many other LGBTQ flags. Even the longer version, ‘LGBTQIA+’ is not fully representative of the diversity within the community. Note that the term ‘LGBTQ’ is a blanket name for the entire community and does not represent each part of the gender spectrum. Strewn across flags, banners, and pins, the rainbow symbolizes the diversity of gays and lesbians around the world.įirst designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978, the original version of the LGBTQ rainbow had eight colors representing different things that are necessary for liberation.įrom the original eight-color version, the LGBTQ Pride Flag has evolved to take on several different versions and iterations. The most recognizable symbol that represents the LGBTQ community today is the rainbow. These visual cues are subtle yet poignant and have been helping members of the community find their people since they were first used.Įach of these symbols has a unique meaning that holds importance within the LGBTQ community. In a world that’s still trying to evolve into a more accepting one for those identifying as LGBTQ, community members, and allies use symbols to communicate with other members that they are recognized, accepted and are in a safe space. For members of the LGBTQ community, representation is everything.
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