Thursday Thirteen 24th Edition
Jan. 24th, 2008 02:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xakaraGreetings Kittens,
Welcome to the TT that nearly wasn't. Fortunately, a little rest has done wonders and the lure of Thursday Thirteen was able to pull me full back to its side. Continuing on from last week's theme, we're moving beyond the Rainbow Alphabet of the LGBTQ movement and into its symbols, both modern and ancient. Some you'll know, others may be new, and all show the search for solidarity we each seek when something about us differs from the preceived majority and we are left to fend for ourselves, with those seeming few like ourselves.
On to 13 Symbols of the LGBTQ Movement. Enjoy.
13 Symbols of the LGBTQ Movement
1.
The Rainbow Flag ~ Developed by Gilbert Baker in 1978, the flag would go on to become the most recognized symbol of the Gay Pride Movement. It was developed to fill a need for a yearly symbol for the Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade in San Francisco. Originally Gilbert developed a flag with 8 stripes, each color holding specific significance.
Hot Pink for Sexuality
Red for Life
Orange for Healing
Yellow for the Sun
Green for Nature
Blue for Art
Indigo for Harmony
Violet for Spirit
The first prototype flag was hand-stitch by Gilbert and 30 volunteers for the '78 parade and was an immediate hit. Unfortunately, in 1979 when they went to the San Francisco Flag Co. for mass production, the hot pink stripe had to be dropped because pink was not a commercially available color at the time. Later that year the city's first openly gay supervisor Harvey Milk was assassinated and the flag was thought to be the perfect unifying symbol for the gay community to come together over the tragedy. The indigo stripe was eliminated to allow the colors to be evenly divided among the marchers along the parade route and the six striped flag we know today was born and used in the 1979 parade.
The popularity of the flag spread across the county and it is officially recognized by the International Congress of Flag Makers. Since its introduction it has inspired several variations along with the creation of the popular rainbow rings often worn as a necklace, bracelet or keychain. The incorporation of it as jewelry speaks to the versatility of the symbol as it allows for support and pride without making a direct overt statement.
2.
The Bi-Pride Flag ~ Designed in 1988 by Michael Page, the Bi-Pride flage is lesser known, but slowly gaining prominence. It's colors of pink, blue and purple are said to represent two concepts. First the basic pink for girls and blue for boys that Bisexuals are attracted to, with purple/lavendar being the place where the colors overlap. Second, it's thought that pink stands for Homosexuality and blue for Heterosexuality while again, purple/lavendar is the region where the two meet to become Bisexuailty.
The flag most likely originates from the Bisexual symbol of the overlapping triangles seen later in this list. Unfortunately, the origins of the triangles (or "biangles") is unconfirmed.
3.
Transgender Pride Flag ~ Designed by Monica Helms, it was first displayed at the Pride Parade in Phoenix, Arizona in 2000. The light blue and pink strips are the traditional boy and girl associations with the white stripe representing those who are transitioning, those who feel a neutral gender or who are genderless, and those who are intersexed. The pattern is set up so that no matter which way you fly it, the "orientation" is always correct.
4.
The Leather Pride Flag ~ The creation of the flag is contributed both to artist Tony DeBlase and Henry Laster. It is said that the colors and heart had specific meaning and alternately that the interpretation would be left up to the viewer. One thing that is agreed upon is that the flag was first displayed in 1989 at the Mister Leather contest in Chicago.
Of the interpretations I could find, the black represents leather, while royal blue represents the psychology of sexual fetish, and the heart the love and trust present in the power exchange in all forms of leather play. Sometimes the words "Safe, Sane, Consensual" will be displayed along the white stripe.
5.
Bear Pride Flag ~ Can I just say that I love that there's a Bear Pride Flag! One of the first openly gay men I ever met fell under the "bear" catergory, but he was much more than the stereotype of the older, heavier, hairier gay man the affectionate title invokes.
Created by a Seattle Bear named Spags, the blue stripe is the sky, the green stripe the earth, and the three inbetween are all the bears of the world beneath the sun of the yellow paw print. This is an unofficial flag of the Bear Pride Movement but one of the most well known.
6.
Pink Triangle ~ Inverted triangle of differing colors were used in Nazi concentration camps to distinguish individual prisoners for their "crimes". Green was for "regular" criminals, red for political prisoners, overlapping yellow for Jewish prisoners and alas, pink for gay male prisoners. When the concentration camps were liberated, those with pink triangles were left behind because homosexuality was still a crime and would remain such for an additional 24 years after WWII.
The triangle emerged as part of the Gay Liberation Movement in the 1970's. It's stark reminder of a painful past forced lawmakers to be associated with Nazis if they chose to make laws discriminating against Gay citizens. Like the word Queer, the triangle was reclaimed from painful origins to become a symbol of pride and a reminder to never again allow basic human dignity to be taken away from anyone.
7.
Black Triangle ~ Pink triangles were exclusively used with male prisoners as the crimes of woman, even Lesbianism, were all lumped under "anti-social" behavior. This could mean any woman who was a Lesbian, activist, prostitute, user of birth control, actively sought an abortion, was unwilling to marry, or otherwise didn't conform to the Nazi ideal of womanhood. Like the pink triangle, the black triangle is slowly being reclaimed by lesbian and feminist groups as a symbol of pride and sisterhood.
8.
Bisexual Overlaping Triangles ~ Inspiration for the Bi-Pride Flag, these triangles are taken most obviously from the pink triangle of the Gay Pride Movement with blue representing heterosexual tendencies. As well the combination of female and male attractions found in Bisexuals.
For those who did not wish the Nazi association of the triangles the Bi-crescents were developed.
9.
Transgender Mercury Symbol ~ Many forms and combinations of the Venus and Mars symbols have been used to represent Transgendered persons, but it was the adoption of the Mercury symbol that stood out in my research. It was a two fold choice in that Mercury/Hermes had a child with Venus/Aphrodite that was Hermaphroditus, both and male and female. Borrowing the symbol of the father for the "son" was one choice since it also incorporates Venus' symbol, making it both male and female in one. The second choice was to get away from Venus and Mars altogether allowing the symbol to represent both those who felt they were both genders and those who felt they were a third gender, or genderless.
10.
Labrys ~ The double-bladed axe is a symbol over 8,000 years old, and was once a favorite in Lesbian and Feminist communities that is slowly finding it's way back. Associated as a favored implement of female warriors in Amazon Tribes, it is also linked to an Earth Goddess community in Catal Huyuk, Turkey in 6000 BCE, and to the matriarchal Minoan civilization of Crete (3000 BCE to 1000 BCE). The Labrys was seen as synonymous with the dual nature of strong women, for it could be used to clear fields and till the soil with one end and fight an enemy and claim new land with the other. It was both tool and weapon in one, both benign and deadly.
It is associated with the Goddesses Demeter and Artemis and there are Minoan frescos that show a bare breasted All-Goddess, thought to be a protectress of women and surrounded by female worshippers carrying double-axes.
11.
Lambda ~ The Greek lambda was chosen by the Gay Activist Alliance in 1970 in New York after breaking away from the Gay Liberation Front in response to the Stonewall Riots. In 1974 the International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland declared it the official international symbol for gay and lesbian rights.
The lamda is said to represent several things, from the simplest being a Greek "L" for liberation, to the Spartan belief that it represented unity and the Roman belief that it was "the light that shone through the darkness of ignorance". There are other references to its use in physics to represent energy in equations, and thus the energy or syngery the Gay and Lesbian community needed to overcome oppression.
12.
Australian Bisexual Symbol ~ The South Australian Bisexual Network was formed in 1992 and developed this symbol in '93 for promotional material. The Australian Bisexual Network adopted it as a National symbol shortly after to unify the different Australian groups.
As the yin-yang is a personal symbol of mine, this and the crescents are my favorite on the list. :)
13.
Polyamory Ribbon ~ This is taken directly from the Polyamory Pride Flag by Jim Evans. Blue represents the honesty and openess of all partners in a multi-developed relationship. Red is the love and passion for all partners involved. Black is the solidarity of those who love in this way but must hide from a society that would rather condone infidelity than accept honest polyamorous inclinations or support polyfidelity partnerships. The Greek letter 'pi' in the center is for the first letter in Polyamory and it is gold to represent the value each partner places on the others be they friends, lovers, or several things inbetween.
The ribbons were designed to bring awareness to polyamory and the discrimination faced by multi-partner homes. Just as with Gay and Lesbian couples, Poly households face the inability to be recognized parents to non-biological children and legal partners to those they cannot marry. Unlike Gays and Lesbians however, adoption laws in most states do not allow for a third (or more) recognized parent, leaving many multi-households without recourse to protect their families. I won't get started on the marriage issue. We can save that for another Thursday.
Bonus Images:
International Bear Brotherhood Flag
Symbol Ramble Done
~X
Links to other Thursday Thirteens! Just Click on Mister Linky before to add your link or find others!
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Welcome to the TT that nearly wasn't. Fortunately, a little rest has done wonders and the lure of Thursday Thirteen was able to pull me full back to its side. Continuing on from last week's theme, we're moving beyond the Rainbow Alphabet of the LGBTQ movement and into its symbols, both modern and ancient. Some you'll know, others may be new, and all show the search for solidarity we each seek when something about us differs from the preceived majority and we are left to fend for ourselves, with those seeming few like ourselves.
On to 13 Symbols of the LGBTQ Movement. Enjoy.
1.
The Rainbow Flag ~ Developed by Gilbert Baker in 1978, the flag would go on to become the most recognized symbol of the Gay Pride Movement. It was developed to fill a need for a yearly symbol for the Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade in San Francisco. Originally Gilbert developed a flag with 8 stripes, each color holding specific significance. Hot Pink for Sexuality
Red for Life
Orange for Healing
Yellow for the Sun
Green for Nature
Blue for Art
Indigo for Harmony
Violet for Spirit
The first prototype flag was hand-stitch by Gilbert and 30 volunteers for the '78 parade and was an immediate hit. Unfortunately, in 1979 when they went to the San Francisco Flag Co. for mass production, the hot pink stripe had to be dropped because pink was not a commercially available color at the time. Later that year the city's first openly gay supervisor Harvey Milk was assassinated and the flag was thought to be the perfect unifying symbol for the gay community to come together over the tragedy. The indigo stripe was eliminated to allow the colors to be evenly divided among the marchers along the parade route and the six striped flag we know today was born and used in the 1979 parade.
The popularity of the flag spread across the county and it is officially recognized by the International Congress of Flag Makers. Since its introduction it has inspired several variations along with the creation of the popular rainbow rings often worn as a necklace, bracelet or keychain. The incorporation of it as jewelry speaks to the versatility of the symbol as it allows for support and pride without making a direct overt statement.
2.
The Bi-Pride Flag ~ Designed in 1988 by Michael Page, the Bi-Pride flage is lesser known, but slowly gaining prominence. It's colors of pink, blue and purple are said to represent two concepts. First the basic pink for girls and blue for boys that Bisexuals are attracted to, with purple/lavendar being the place where the colors overlap. Second, it's thought that pink stands for Homosexuality and blue for Heterosexuality while again, purple/lavendar is the region where the two meet to become Bisexuailty. The flag most likely originates from the Bisexual symbol of the overlapping triangles seen later in this list. Unfortunately, the origins of the triangles (or "biangles") is unconfirmed.
3.
Transgender Pride Flag ~ Designed by Monica Helms, it was first displayed at the Pride Parade in Phoenix, Arizona in 2000. The light blue and pink strips are the traditional boy and girl associations with the white stripe representing those who are transitioning, those who feel a neutral gender or who are genderless, and those who are intersexed. The pattern is set up so that no matter which way you fly it, the "orientation" is always correct. 4.
The Leather Pride Flag ~ The creation of the flag is contributed both to artist Tony DeBlase and Henry Laster. It is said that the colors and heart had specific meaning and alternately that the interpretation would be left up to the viewer. One thing that is agreed upon is that the flag was first displayed in 1989 at the Mister Leather contest in Chicago. Of the interpretations I could find, the black represents leather, while royal blue represents the psychology of sexual fetish, and the heart the love and trust present in the power exchange in all forms of leather play. Sometimes the words "Safe, Sane, Consensual" will be displayed along the white stripe.
5.
Bear Pride Flag ~ Can I just say that I love that there's a Bear Pride Flag! One of the first openly gay men I ever met fell under the "bear" catergory, but he was much more than the stereotype of the older, heavier, hairier gay man the affectionate title invokes. Created by a Seattle Bear named Spags, the blue stripe is the sky, the green stripe the earth, and the three inbetween are all the bears of the world beneath the sun of the yellow paw print. This is an unofficial flag of the Bear Pride Movement but one of the most well known.
6.
Pink Triangle ~ Inverted triangle of differing colors were used in Nazi concentration camps to distinguish individual prisoners for their "crimes". Green was for "regular" criminals, red for political prisoners, overlapping yellow for Jewish prisoners and alas, pink for gay male prisoners. When the concentration camps were liberated, those with pink triangles were left behind because homosexuality was still a crime and would remain such for an additional 24 years after WWII. The triangle emerged as part of the Gay Liberation Movement in the 1970's. It's stark reminder of a painful past forced lawmakers to be associated with Nazis if they chose to make laws discriminating against Gay citizens. Like the word Queer, the triangle was reclaimed from painful origins to become a symbol of pride and a reminder to never again allow basic human dignity to be taken away from anyone.
7.
Black Triangle ~ Pink triangles were exclusively used with male prisoners as the crimes of woman, even Lesbianism, were all lumped under "anti-social" behavior. This could mean any woman who was a Lesbian, activist, prostitute, user of birth control, actively sought an abortion, was unwilling to marry, or otherwise didn't conform to the Nazi ideal of womanhood. Like the pink triangle, the black triangle is slowly being reclaimed by lesbian and feminist groups as a symbol of pride and sisterhood. 8.
Bisexual Overlaping Triangles ~ Inspiration for the Bi-Pride Flag, these triangles are taken most obviously from the pink triangle of the Gay Pride Movement with blue representing heterosexual tendencies. As well the combination of female and male attractions found in Bisexuals. For those who did not wish the Nazi association of the triangles the Bi-crescents were developed.
9.
Transgender Mercury Symbol ~ Many forms and combinations of the Venus and Mars symbols have been used to represent Transgendered persons, but it was the adoption of the Mercury symbol that stood out in my research. It was a two fold choice in that Mercury/Hermes had a child with Venus/Aphrodite that was Hermaphroditus, both and male and female. Borrowing the symbol of the father for the "son" was one choice since it also incorporates Venus' symbol, making it both male and female in one. The second choice was to get away from Venus and Mars altogether allowing the symbol to represent both those who felt they were both genders and those who felt they were a third gender, or genderless. 10.
Labrys ~ The double-bladed axe is a symbol over 8,000 years old, and was once a favorite in Lesbian and Feminist communities that is slowly finding it's way back. Associated as a favored implement of female warriors in Amazon Tribes, it is also linked to an Earth Goddess community in Catal Huyuk, Turkey in 6000 BCE, and to the matriarchal Minoan civilization of Crete (3000 BCE to 1000 BCE). The Labrys was seen as synonymous with the dual nature of strong women, for it could be used to clear fields and till the soil with one end and fight an enemy and claim new land with the other. It was both tool and weapon in one, both benign and deadly. It is associated with the Goddesses Demeter and Artemis and there are Minoan frescos that show a bare breasted All-Goddess, thought to be a protectress of women and surrounded by female worshippers carrying double-axes.
11.
Lambda ~ The Greek lambda was chosen by the Gay Activist Alliance in 1970 in New York after breaking away from the Gay Liberation Front in response to the Stonewall Riots. In 1974 the International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland declared it the official international symbol for gay and lesbian rights. The lamda is said to represent several things, from the simplest being a Greek "L" for liberation, to the Spartan belief that it represented unity and the Roman belief that it was "the light that shone through the darkness of ignorance". There are other references to its use in physics to represent energy in equations, and thus the energy or syngery the Gay and Lesbian community needed to overcome oppression.
12.
Australian Bisexual Symbol ~ The South Australian Bisexual Network was formed in 1992 and developed this symbol in '93 for promotional material. The Australian Bisexual Network adopted it as a National symbol shortly after to unify the different Australian groups. As the yin-yang is a personal symbol of mine, this and the crescents are my favorite on the list. :)
13.
Polyamory Ribbon ~ This is taken directly from the Polyamory Pride Flag by Jim Evans. Blue represents the honesty and openess of all partners in a multi-developed relationship. Red is the love and passion for all partners involved. Black is the solidarity of those who love in this way but must hide from a society that would rather condone infidelity than accept honest polyamorous inclinations or support polyfidelity partnerships. The Greek letter 'pi' in the center is for the first letter in Polyamory and it is gold to represent the value each partner places on the others be they friends, lovers, or several things inbetween. The ribbons were designed to bring awareness to polyamory and the discrimination faced by multi-partner homes. Just as with Gay and Lesbian couples, Poly households face the inability to be recognized parents to non-biological children and legal partners to those they cannot marry. Unlike Gays and Lesbians however, adoption laws in most states do not allow for a third (or more) recognized parent, leaving many multi-households without recourse to protect their families. I won't get started on the marriage issue. We can save that for another Thursday.
Bonus Images:
International Bear Brotherhood Flag
Symbol Ramble Done
~X
Links to other Thursday Thirteens! Just Click on Mister Linky before to add your link or find others!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-01-24 09:06 pm (UTC)--Susan Helene Gottfried
http://westofmars.blogspot.com
no subject
Date: 2008-01-24 10:47 pm (UTC)Happy TT!!
Harlekwin (http://bohorap.blogspot.com)
no subject
Date: 2008-01-24 11:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-24 11:54 pm (UTC)Good show.
Rainbow Flag
Date: 2008-01-25 12:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-25 12:47 am (UTC)What a fascinating TT. Thanks for all the images to go along with it. The two flags for Bear Pride are so earthy and woodsy. Very centered compared to the vibrant colors of the rainbow flags.
julia
http://julia-mindovermatter.blogspot.com/index.html
You're so cool!
Date: 2008-01-25 01:29 am (UTC)Happy TT.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-25 02:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-25 02:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-25 03:02 am (UTC)I honestly didn't know the colors were representative of something!
no subject
Date: 2008-01-25 04:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-25 05:44 am (UTC)Mine is on my other blog (http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2008/01.html#tt42_birds).
no subject
Date: 2008-01-25 10:48 am (UTC)Robin
http://aroundtheisland.blogspot.com/
from Nicholas
Date: 2008-01-25 11:01 pm (UTC)http://agentlemansdomain.typepad.com
no subject
Date: 2008-01-26 06:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-30 02:32 pm (UTC)Lori
http://lorislightextemporanea.blogspot.com
What new on xakara.livejournal.com
Date: 2014-06-02 09:35 pm (UTC)