GAY SYMBOLS AND THEIR MEANING
Gay pride symbols have been around for a long time. The rainbow became the symbol of gay pride verses gay liberation which used the pink triangle. The first Rainbow Flag was designed in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, a San Francisco artist, who created the flag in response to a local activist's call for the need of a community symbol. (This was before the pink triangle was popularly used as a symbol of pride.)
In some areas the flag is used to mark gay friendly places and in some cases, gay safe. As most everyone knows, the pink triangle is a symbol that came directly from the Nazi concentration camps. Usually when concentration camps and Nazis are mentioned, most people tend to think of the Jewish Holocaust (for good reason). The fact that a large number of homosexual prisoners were in those same camps is grossly overlooked.
The rainbow flag has become one of the most widely used and recognized symbols of the gay pride movement. The Stonewall riots changed the course of gay the gay rights movement. A small number of activists created widespread protest for equal rights and acceptance.
The colors from the flag are often used on gay and lesbian websites, artwork, and items to numerous to mention. The flag debuted at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade.
Colors of the Rainbow Flag and their meaning are as follows:
The original flag had eight stripes from top to bottom: pink (sexuality), red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sunlight), green (nature), turquoise (magic), indigo/blue (serenity), and violet (spirit). The flag since then lost two of its stripes—pink and violet. They "ran out of pink dye”. The violet stripe was later taken out to create an even number of stripes on the flag.
One symbol which continues to remain popular is the lower case Greek letter lambda. The symbol was originally chosen by the Gay Activists Alliance of New York in 1970. The GAA was a group which broke away from the larger Gay Liberation Front at the end of 1969, only six months after its foundation in response to the Stonewall Riots.
Victory over AIDS Flag is a traditional rainbow flag by adding a black stripe to the bottom in remembrance of everyone defeated by the AIDS virus over the years.
The red ribbon was originally inspired by the yellow ribbons prominently displayed during the Gulf War in support of U.S. soldiers. The color red was chosen because it is the color of blood- AIDS and HIV being blood-related diseases- and its symbolic connection to passion and love. The red ribbon made its public debut in 1991. Since then, wearing the red ribbon has become a fashion statement and extremely politically correct. Some feel that the red ribbon has lost its importance, and is now simply
The Bi-Flag is represented by three colors; pink, purple and blue. It was first unveiled in 1998 with the purpose to maximize bisexual pride and visibility. Before the flag was created bisexuality was represented by bi-angles. There were three main symbols: an inverted double triangle, the bi-symbol and the 3 looped symbols.
The three colors were chosen carefully; pink represents the sexual attraction to the same sex only, blue represents the sexual attraction to the opposite sex only and the purple represents the sexual attraction to both sexes.
The key to understanding the symbolism in the Bi-Pride flag is to know that the purple pixels blend into both the pink and blue unnoticed, just as bi people blend unnoticed into the straight and gay community.
While I have listed a few and there meanings there are many more such as the ribbon for teen suicide because gay teens are more likely to commit suicide. There are symbols for gay men, gay women, bisexuals, and transgender.
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Symbols
Rainbow Flag
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The first flag had eight stripes; hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit. When the designer went to mass produce the flag some changes had to be made. Pink and turquoise were removed from the design, and royal blue had replaced indigo, leaving the flag with six colors.
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Leather Pride Flag
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The leather flag is a symbol for the leather community.
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Pink Triangle
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Gay liberation groups in the 1970's started using the pink triangle as a symbol for the gay rights movement.
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Black Triangle
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The black triangle represents lesbians and feminists as a symbol of pride and solidarity.
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Bisexual Symbol
Gender Symbols
Male Symbol
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Male symbols have been used by gay men since the 1970's.
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Female Symbol
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Female symbols have been used to represent lesbians.
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The Mercury astrological sign is a symbol for transgendered people. The crescent moon at the top is supposed to represent the masculine, and the cross at the bottom represents the feminine. The ring represents the individual, with the male and the female balanced at either side.
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Red Ribbon
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The red ribbon has been used for AIDS Awareness, which can be seen on jacket lapels and other articles of clothing as a symbol of a commitment to the fight against AIDS.
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Labrys
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The labrys is a lesbian and feminist symbol of strength and self-sufficiency.
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Lambda Symbol
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The lambda symbol generally represents lesbian's and gay men's concerns together.
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