WAVE YOUR FLAG

Understanding the colors and symbols of the LGBTQIA+ community

Story and Illustrations by Frankie Nadal

In a world full of both wondrous splendor and some... not so wondrous and splendorous things, it can be difficult to know what is what.

Is the LGBTQIA+ acronym inoccuous or not? Are XYZ words offensive? Were they always offensive? Is it a new development of language and culture, or some sort of social media campaign? Some other conflicting conundrum?

Well, fear not, dear reader. While one person cannot possibly assuage every concern of every person at every turn, this handy guide to follow contains some basic info on one community I proudly call myself a member of: the LGBTQIA+ Community.

While not wholly comprehensive, it does share some common symbols and debunk some common misconceptions about the community, in addition to some fun (and not so fun) facts and history.

Lesbian

Up first, our lovely lesbians. As shared by the Trevor Project: “Lesbian ... describes women who are predominantly attracted to other women.” Additionally, lesbians exist along the full spectrum of gender expression, presenting as masculine, feminine and everything in between.

Some common symbols seen in the lesbian community are the black triangle, labrys and violet. The triangle is a reclaimed symbol, used in Nazi Germany to denote “asociality.” The labrys, a double-headed axe, is a symbol of lesbian feminism, derived from Amazonian myth. As for the violet, it is a reference to the Greek poet Sappho, who used the color in much of her homoerotic poetry.

Gay

Up next, our gracious gays. Now, gay does not refer exclusively to men who are attracted to other men, though it once did. The American Psychological Association states, “gay ... describes people who have physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction to people of the same gender.” This language is inclusive to women and those who have alternate gender expressions.

The pink triangle, like the black triangle, is a reclaimed symbol from WWII, and the green carnation is attributed to Oscar Wilde, a famous author notorious for his homosexual exploits. Further, the community was once referred to by “GLBT,” and was changed to honor the lesbians who aided gay men during the AIDS epidemic.

Bisexual

Moving forward, we come to our boisterous bisexuals. Bisexual folk can form “physical, romantic, and/or emotional attractions to those of the same gender or more than one gender,” as defined by the LGBT Community Center in New York City. It can also be used as an umbrella term containing pansexual, polysexual, omnisexual and more.

A lot of confusion surrounds bisexuality; one misconception is that bisexuals are equally attracted to men and women or are simply confused. In truth, bisexual people can experience varying degrees of attraction to various genders. The moon is a prominent symbol for its phases and varying nature, exemplified by the lunar moth.

Transgender

Then, we meet our tenacious trans folk. The Trevor Project shares that “transgender” is both a gender identity and umbrella term for those who find their assigned gender inaccurate or wrong. Nonbinary, genderqueer and gender non-conforming folk are all included under this umbrella.

Trans folk don’t always medically or socially transition, often for a variety of reasons, but that does not make them less valid. This goes for those who are genderqueer, non-conforming or nonbinary, regardless of their presentation or lack thereof.

Queer and Questioning

Now, we get to the nebulous and apt queer and questioning. While once “considered a perjorative term,” as the LGBT Community Center shares, queer has been reclaimed by the community. Queer folk may not feel that any one label describes their unique experiences. Alternatively, a person may be questioning their gender and or sexual identity.

Regardless of one’s identity or lack thereof, we should not assume anything about their gender or sexual identity. After all, gender is presentation.

Intersex

As we near the end, we come to our intrepid intersex individuals. Intersex people do not “fit” within the gender binary of male and female. As shared by the Trevor Project, “sex does not equal gender...”

However, just as gender is a spectrum, so is sex. In other words, people who are intersex may present masculine on the outside, but have an internal reproductive system, and vice versa. These differences extend to hormones and chromosomes.

The intersex flag is yellow, with a purple circle emblazoned on it. The orchid is a common symbol, as its Greek root refers to “testes,” and it illustrates the struggles of individuals with androgen resistance.