by Just Me Here

Created on: May 13, 2008   Last Updated: May 13, 2011

GAY SYMBOLS AND THEIR MEANINGS

Just as the American flag or any other country's flag allows you to show your support for your country, there are different symbols the gay community uses to express themselves. It allows them to show they are proud of what the symbol means. There are some that are recognized right away and some you may not be aware of. Here is a breakdown of the commonly used symbols in the gay communities.

THE RAINBOW FLAG

Use of the rainbow flag in the gay community started in 1978 when it was used in the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade. Each color represents a different meaning.

Here are the colors on the flag and what they stand for:

• RED - life
• ORANGE - healing
• YELLOW - sun
• GREEN - nature
• BLUE - harmony
• PURPLE - spirit

THE TWO INTERLOCKING FEMALE SYMBOLS

The use of the two interlocking female symbols stand for lesbians and it is their pride symbol.

THE TWO INTERLOCKING MALE SYBOLS

These are used as a pride symbol for gay men.

PINK TRIANGLE

The pink triangle stands for gay pride and has been used by the gay and lesbian community for many years. It is one of the more commonly known gay pride symbols wit roots back to World War II.

THE LAMBDA

This symbol which is the lower case Greek letter lambda, is a popular symbol used in the gay community. The Greek letter L stands for liberation, and essentially that is what they used this symbol for.

THE LEATHER PRIDE FLAG

This flag represents more than just the gay community. It stands for all those that like wearing leather as well as sadomasochism, bondage, domination, uniforms, rubber and any other kind of sexual fetishes.

BISEXUAL TRIANGLES (PINK AND BLUE)

With all the symbols for the gay community, bisexuals created their own in which is the blue and pink triangles overlapping each other. It just gives them a symbol in which they can use to be proud and show their support for the bisexual community.

WHITE RIBBON

This is the one I think needs to be focused on more. It stands for the gay teenagers who commit suicide. It brings awareness to the issue and hopefully will gain more popularity. No one should be judged because of their sexual orientation or preference. All to often young teenagers are targeted and made fun of because they are simply trying to live their lives their own way. Everyone has a right to do so and should not be ridiculed for being themselves.

There are many other signs and symbols used within the gay community but these are the ones I have seen and learned about myself.

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