In physics and chemistry, the lambda represents “a complete exchange of energy–that moment or span of time witness to absolute activity”, and thus is used to symbolise the energy of the Gay Rights Movement. Four years later in December, 1974, the International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, chose the same symbol to represent lesbian and gay rights and gave it the status of an international symbol. In 1970, the Greek letter lambda (λ) was selected by graphic designer Tom Doerr to symbolise the Gay Activists Alliance’s campaign in New York. One of the versions has the Amazon warriors and Goddess Diana use it too, from which legend the back- story of Wonder Woman is inspired. It also appears in ancient Greek and Roman mythologies being used by several Goddesses. It is said to be used by the matriarchal society of ancient Minoan civilization of the Crete Islands. It is a symbol taken from history and mythological legends. The labrys, or double-bladed battle axe, is a symbol used in modern day as a symbol of feminist strength, women power, self-sufficiency and of course, a kinship of the lesbian women around the world.
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Triangle tattoo (source: )Īnd for the worst crime of all in the Nazi Germany, that is to be a homosexual AND a Jewish, was marked with a pink triangle overlapping a yellow one, making it a hexagon star just like the religious symbol of Judaism – the Star of David.ĪIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT-UP) adopted an inverted pink triangle to symbolise their active struggle against HIV/AIDS rather than giving in without a fight. Many lesbian women have a black triangle tattooed somewhere in their body it has become a trend. Later on, many lesbian groups worldwide adopted this as a symbol. Though the pink triangles were exclusively used for gay men in the Nazi camps, some women who were tagged “asocial” because they did not conform to the ideal Nazi image of a woman, were imprisoned and labelled with a black triangle. Pink Triangle on a Nazi prisoner-camp uniform (source: )īut later, the same symbol was reclaimed by the homosexual community and they turned the tables by using it to show their pride and unity in various movements. In the holocaust concentration camps, the imprisoned homosexual males were made to wear badges with pink triangles. One of the oldest of symbols to mark the LGBT people is the pink triangle, which was originally used in the Nazi regime. You can read about its history and significance here: The Story of the Rainbow Flagīut there are many more with equally important past and importance. The most famous representative of the LGBT community is the rainbow flag. Just like a country’s flag or national anthem gives its citizens a sense of integration, they gave the LGBT community a sense of belongingness. But these chosen symbols or colours were more than mere signs. These symbols were primarily used for self-identification as well as a display of unity, allegiance and support among the group.
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The sources can be historical, cultural, academic or a social practice from the past. The LGBT community as a whole has derived and adopted various signs, symbols and colour codes for flags from different sources.