GENDER SYMBOLS:

THE LAMBDA
1. Historical Context:

 The lambda symbol (Λ) was adopted as a symbol of LGBTQ+ pride

and liberation in the 1970s. It was originally popularized by the Gay
Activists Alliance, a prominent LGBTQ+ advocacy group in New York
City.

2. Symbolism:

 The lambda symbol represents unity and pride among individuals

who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or any
other non-heteronormative sexual orientation or gender identity. It is
a symbol of solidarity and support for LGBTQ+ rights and visibility.

3. LGBTQ+ Rights Movement:

 The adoption of the lambda symbol coincided with the early LGBTQ+
rights movement in the United States, when activists were working
to achieve recognition and equal rights for LGBTQ+ individuals. It was
used on flags, banners, and other materials during protests and
events.

4. Lambda Flag:

 The lambda symbol is often featured on the lambda pride flag, which
consists of horizontal stripes of varying colors. The flag's colors may
vary, but it generally includes the lambda symbol, which is usually
white, set against a colored background. The specific colors and
design may vary in different LGBTQ+ communities.
 Simply, the Greek letter "L" stands for "liberation."
 The Greek Spartans believed that the lambda represented unity.
 The Romans took it as meaning "the light of knowledge shining into the
darkness of ignorance."
 The charged energy of the gay movement. This stems from the lambda's
use in chemistry and physics to denote energy in equations.
 The synergy which results when gays and lesbians work together towards a
common goal (a gestalt theory which also stems from the physics-energy
theory)
 The notion that straights and gays, or gays and lesbians, or any pairing of
these three, are on different wavelengths when it comes to sex, sexuality,
or even brain patterns. This again comes from the lambda's presence in
chemistry and physics, where it is sometimes used to represent the
wavelength of certain types of energy.
 In Dec, 1974, the lambda was officially declared the internaltional symbol
for gay asnd lesbian rights by international gay rights congress in
Edinburgh, Scotland.

1. Rainbow Flag:
 The most well-known symbol in LGBTQ+ culture is the rainbow flag,
often referred to as the "Pride Flag" or "LGBT Flag." It was created by
artist Gilbert Baker in 1978 and has since become a universal symbol
of the LGBTQ+ community.
 The flag consists of six horizontal stripes, each representing different
aspects of diversity and identity:
 Red: Life
 Orange: Healing
  yellow: SUNLIGHT
 Green: Nature
 Blue: Harmony
 Purple: Spirit

LEATHER PRIDE FLAG:

The leather pride flag was designed in 1989 by Tony DeBlase and has since
represented the leather community. It has nine stripes—four black, four
blue, one white—with a red heart in the upper left corner. The flag is seen
in LGBTQ+ pride weeks as well as events that support the BDSM
community.

It is important to note that although the flag was created to support the
leather community, the flag has been also used interchangeably for those
who identify with the BDSM community. That includes cowboys, latex, and
uniforms. This flag represents the freedom to explore kinks and sexual
freedom.
  The bear pride flag is a symbol of the bear community within the
LGBTQ+ community. The bear community is a subculture of gay men
and is often associated with those who are larger, hairier, and have a
more rugged or masculine appearance. . Though not necessarily
referring to human skin color or hair color, the flag was designed
with inclusion in mind.] The bear culture celebrates secondary sex
characteristics such as growth of body hair and facial hair, traits
associated with bear.
 Developed by Seattle bear bar named Spags.
 Blue stripes represent the sky.
 Green stripes represent the earth.
 In between two are all bears of the world –white for polar bears,
black for black bear and brown for brown bears.

Types of triangle
1. Pink triangle
2. Black triangle
3. Burgundy triangle
4. Bisexual triangle
Pink triangle
The pink triangle, which was originally a symbol of oppression and
persecution, has been reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community as a symbol of
pride and resilience.
1. Nazi Persecution:
 The pink triangle first gained notoriety during World War II when the
Nazis used various colored triangles to classify prisoners in
concentration camps. The pink triangle was assigned to individuals
who were imprisoned because of their perceived homosexuality. At
the time, homosexuality was criminalized in Nazi Germany, and those
identified as homosexual were subjected to extreme persecution,
including torture, forced labor, and execution.
2. Post-War Stigmatization:
 After World War II, the pink triangle continued to be associated with
shame and stigmatization. Many survivors of the Holocaust who had
been imprisoned for their sexual orientation were further
marginalized in society. Some even faced imprisonment or
institutionalization in post-war Germany.
3. Reappropriation:
 In the 1970s, with the rise of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, activists
began to reclaim the pink triangle as a symbol of pride and defiance.
They inverted the triangle, turning it upright and making it pink, to
symbolize a reversal of its original meaning.

Black triangle:
The Pink Triangle was used exclusively with male prisoners-lesbians
were not included under Paragraph 175. However, women were
arrested and imprisoned for "antisocial behavior," which include
anything from feminism, lesbianism, and prostitution to any woman
who didn't conform to the ideal Nazi image of a woman: cooking,
cleaning, kitchen work, child raising, passive, etc. These women were
labeled with a black triangle. Just as the pink triangle has been
reclaimed, lesbians and feminists have begun using the black triangle
as a symbol of pride and sisterhood.

Burgundy triangle:
 it is rumored that there was a burgundy triangle which designated
transgendered prisoners, but so for this only a rumor and has not been
sustained with facts.

Bisexual triangle:
The bisexual flag consists of three horizontal stripes—pink, purple, and
blue. It represents individuals who are attracted to people of their own
gender and people of other genders.
1. Male Gender Symbol (♂):
 The male gender symbol is often associated with the Roman god
Mars, who was the god of war and guardian of agriculture. It
represents masculinity, strength, and the planet Mars.
 The symbol consists of a circle with an arrow pointing diagonally
upwards and to the right. This arrow is thought to represent a phallic
symbol, signifying the male reproductive organ.
2. Female Gender Symbol (♀):
 The female gender symbol is often associated with the Roman
goddess Venus, who was the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. It
represents femininity, love, and the planet Venus.
 The symbol consists of a small, stylized mirror or hand mirror with a
circle and a cross beneath it. The mirror is believed to represent the
image of the goddess Venus, and the cross symbolizes a necklace or a
hand mirror handle..
3. Heterosexual Gender Symbol (⚤):
 The heterosexual gender symbol, ⚤, combines elements of both the
male and female symbols to represent a heterosexual couple. It
signifies the union of a man and a woman in a romantic or sexual
relationship.
 The use of this specific symbol is relatively modern and emerged in
the context of the LGBTQ+ rights movement and gender
representation.
Also, at one time this linking of the male and female symbols also
represented the combined forces of the gay and lesbian movements. It has
also been used to show an understanding of the differences and diversity
between men and women.

GAY, LESBIAN, AND FEMINISM

In the 1970s, gay men began using two interlocking male symbols to
symbolize male homosexuality. The two, of course, had to be slightly off-
center to avoid the arrow of one intersecting the circle of the other. Around
the same time, some lesbians started using two interlocking female
symbols to symbolize female homosexuality. However, this soon ran into
trouble because some women in the Feminist movement were using the
same symbol to represent the sisterhood of women.

Ribbons
Ribbons are sometimes added to gender symbols as a way to show support
for or raise awareness of specific gender-related causes or issues. The most
commonly recognized gender symbols are the Mars symbol (♂)
representing males and the Venus symbol (♀) representing females. These
symbols are often used to represent binary gender identities.

AIDS AWARENESS RIBBON

The Red Ribbon Project was created by singer/songwriter in 1991 by Paul
Jabara and the Visual AIDS group in New York, is a charity group that
honors and honors AIDS-related individuals and raises funds for research
and treatment. Inspired by yellow ribbons during the Gulf War, the red
ribbon was chosen for its symbolic connection to passion and love. Its
public debut was when host Jeremy Irons wore it during the 1991 Tony
Awards. Although some believe the ribbon has lost its importance, the Red
Ribbon Project remains a driving force behind AIDS awareness and hopes
that it will no longer be needed.

The pink ribbon of Breast Cancer Awareness was inspired by the success of
the red AIDS Awareness ribbon. Cancer is a very dangerous disease and
continues to be widespread among Americans. Breast cancer is especially
danger for women, and it's been found that breast cancer is more prevalent
in women who do not bear children. Thus, the lesbian community is
especially interested in breast cancer awareness and prevention.
This ribbon, used mainly online, was created by Xavier Neptus, a personal
survivor of attempted teen suicide himself. He was inspired to create this
campaign after hearing Jason Bolton, a young man who was thrown out of
a suburban Detroit high school for being gay, speak about gay youth suicide
at the
1997 Lansing, Michigan Pride March. According to Neptus, the color white
was chosen to represent clarity of thought and innocence of youth. Neptus
quotes on his site that an American teenager