Gay and lesbian symbols
LGBT Symbols
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual , Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Ally (sometimes also Asexual)
Rainbow Flag
Use of the rainbow colored flag to symbolize lgbtq+ fest goes back to 1978 at a San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Independence Day Parade. Designed by Gilbert Baker, the colors in the flag illustrate the diversity of the community and have arrive to represent LGBTQIA identity festival everywhere in the earth it is displayed.
Inverted Triangles
Use of inverted triangles as a symbol of queer pride began to be widespread in the first 1970s Gay Liberation Movement. It was adopted to remember that homosexuals were forced to wear a pink triangle in the Nazi Concentration Camps of World War II. Since the pink triangle has been generally a lgbtq+ male symbol, a pink triangle in a jet circle, or simply a black triangle, is sometimes used by lesbians.
Lambda
Lambda, the Greek letter “L”, has been used since the early 1970s to denote LGBTQ pride, possibly because “L” stand for Liberation. Some people think It may also refer to same-sex love in ancient Greek culture.
Labrys
This axe, called a labrys, was adopted from matriarchal societies to symbolize the strength and c
Read more about our LGBT Working Group
Pride is always something to shout about. Picnics, parades and festivals will take place throughout June and over the summer months, a colour explosion of progressive celebration flags and fashion marking the occasion. This year however there’s an extra reason to celebrate, with 2022 marking fifty years since the first UK Pride march in London in 1972. An outward and public celebration of LGBTQ+ rights, Pride is about being visible, celebrating and reflecting on the achievements and challenges faced by the community over the years.
This public show of identity and passion is now an annual event in the summer calendar, but such overt visibility hasn’t always been possible, or legal, or safe. At a day when public opinion towards the community was overwhelmingly hostile and the legal system declared their adore as criminal behaviour, many LGBTQ+ people hid their identity in plain sight through symbolism and coding. A grassroots set of ‘secret symbols’ was developed, subtle enough to depart relatively unnoticed by those who would seek to cause harm but instantly recognised within the society. A design language created by and for Queer people,
LGBTQ+ Terms
The following is a list of LGBTQ+ inclusive terms.
A
Agender
A person who identifies as having no gender.
Ally
A non-LGBTQ person wo shows support for LGBTQ people and advocates for equality in a variety of ways.
Androgyne/androgynous
Identifying and/or presenting as neither distinguishably masculine nor feminine.
Asexual
A person who experiences little or no sexual attraction to others. Asexuality is not the matching as celibacy.
Assigned Sex at Birth
The sex (male or female) assigned to a child at birth, most often based on the child’s external anatomy. Commonly referred to as birth sex, natal sex, physiological sex, or sex.
B
Biphobia
The shrink from or hatred of and discrimination against bisexuals. Biphobia is different from homophobia or transphobia in that is seen within the LGBT community as skillfully as in general society.
Bisexual
A person emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to more than one sex, gender or gender identity though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree.
C
Cisgender (cis)
A person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the
The LGBTQI+ community has created their own language of colours and symbols. In this guest blog Gillian Murphy, Curator for Equality, Rights and Citizenship at LSE Library, explores the symbols created through advocacy, logo competitions, resistance, and community. LGBT+ History Month is celebrated each February in the UK.
LGBTQI+ symbols and their meanings
“Well, of course, a symbol can mean anything you need it to mean.” Come Together, Issue 12, 1971.
The use of symbols and colours is an vital way for groups to convey messages, communicate with others, and to establish a visual identity. During the 1970s, LGBTQI+ people were encouraged to appear out and, in doing this, they often wore badges with distinctive symbols, reinforcing the belief that no longer would they be invisible. This blog looks at some of the symbols that can be found in LGBTQI+ collections.
The gender symbols for male and female are traditionally derived from astrological signs and mythological meanings representing Mars (god of war with shield and spear) and Venus (mirror of Venus, goddess of love and beauty) respectively.
From the first issues of Come Together, the short-lived newspaper produce
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