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Over the course of its history, the LGBT community has adopted certain symbols for self-identification to demonstrate unity, pride, shared values, and allegiance to one another. These symbols communicate ideas, concepts, and identity both within their communities and to mainstream culture.
- Rainbow
- LGBTQ Pride Flags
- Lambda
- Double Male Symbol
- Double Female Symbol
- Transgender Symbol
- Pansexual Symbol
- Transfeminist Symbol
- Inverted Pink Triangle
- Biangles
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The most recognizable symbol that represents the LGBTQ community today is the rainbow. Strewn across flags, banners, and pins, the rainbow symbolizes the diversity of gays and lesbians around the world. First designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978, the original version of the LGBTQ rainbow had eight colors representing different things that are necessar...
From the original eight-color version, the LGBTQ Pride Flag has evolved to take on several different versions and iterations. Note that the term ‘LGBTQ’ is a blanket name for the entire community and does not represent each part of the gender spectrum. Even the longer version, ‘LGBTQIA+’ is not fully representative of the diversity within the commu...
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. A year after the Stonewall riots, graphic designer Tom Doerr chose the lower-case Greek letter to denote the community’s unified fight against oppres...
In astrology, science, and sociology, the Mars symbol is used to denote the male sex. 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. Traditionally, the symbol is drawn in plain black, but more recent versions depict the double mars w...
Just like the double Mars, the symbol for lesbian pride takes the Venus symbol, used to denote the female sex, and doubles it. Before 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 in...
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. Activist and writer Holly Boswell designed the symbol in 1993. Another version takes the traditional transgender symbol and strikes it with a slanted line to include transgenders who identify as nei...
Before 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. 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 comb...
If you take the traditional transgender symbol and draw a raised fist within the circle, it will transform into a symbol for trans feminism. Activist and academe Emi Koyama explained that transfeminismis “a movement by and for trans women who view their liberation to be intrinsically linked to the liberation of all women and beyond.”
The pinktriangle symbol was first used by the Nazis to identify homosexuals in their concentration camps. Over the course of the second world war, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 homosexuals were incarcerated. The symbol has since been reclaimed as a symbol of Pride and remembrance of the horrors that gay men experienced in Nazi Germany. When the AID...
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. The use of this symbol dates back even prior to Michael Page’s creation of the first Bisexual Pride Flag in 1998. The pink triangle is said to represent attraction to females, while the blue ...
Learn about 18 popular symbols that represent the diversity and pride of the LGBTQ community, from the rainbow flag to the labrys. Discover the history, significance, and variations of each symbol and how they communicate with other members and allies.
Dec 3, 2023 · Learn about the history and symbolism of over 50 flags representing various gender identities and sexual orientations within the LGBTQ+ community. From abrosexual to two-spirit, discover the colors and stories behind each flag and how they express queer pride and diversity.
- Gilbert Baker Pride Flag. In 1977, gay politician Harvey Milk tasked veteran Gilbert Baker to come up with a Pride flag. Milk said he felt that queer people "needed something that was positive, that celebrated our love."
- 1978-1999 Pride Flag. Milk was assassinated in 1978, and demand for the flag increased as people wanted to show their support. Apparently Baker had trouble getting the pink color, so the flag began selling with seven colors instead.
- Traditional Gay Pride Flag. This is probably the flag you'll see most often: Six colors, apparently easier to produce than the odd-numbered seven (although other reports say it was more about making the flag easier for parades and to hang on posts).
- Philadelphia People of Color-Inclusive Flag. Philadelphia added brown and black at the top of their flag in 2017 to spotlight the importance of including queer people of color in the LGBTQ+ community.
You may be familiar with the rainbow flag that represents the group as a whole, but what follows is a more thorough (although far from exhaustive) accounting of pride flags, from transgender to pansexual, asexual, and beyond.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Nov 22, 2022 · Learn about the history, meanings, and symbols of the LGBTQ+ community, from gender symbols to rainbow flags. Find images, publications, and references on various aspects of LGBTQ+ identity and culture.
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May 12, 2021 · There are a bunch of different LGBTQ flags. Learn about their history and find out what their colors and symbols represent.
