Various lesbian flags have been used to symbolise the
lesbian community. Since 1999, many designs have been proposed and used. Although personal preferences exist, as well as various controversies, no design has been widely accepted by the community as the lesbian flag.
History
Labrys flag
The
labrys lesbian flag was created in 1999 by graphic designer Sean Campbell, and published in June 2000 in the Palm Springs edition of the Gay and Lesbian Times Pride issue.[1][2] The design involves a labrys, a type of double-headed axe, superimposed on the inverted
black triangle, set against a
violet background. Among its functions, the labrys was associated as a weapon used by the
Amazons of
mythology.[3][4] In the 1970s it was adopted as a symbol of empowerment by the
lesbian feminist community.[5] Women considered asocial by
Nazi Germany for not conforming to the
Nazi ideal of a woman, which included
homosexual females, were condemned to
concentration camps[6] and wore an inverted
black triangle badge to identify them.[7] Some lesbians reclaimed this symbol as
gay men reclaimed the
pink triangle (many lesbians also reclaimed the pink triangle although lesbians were not included in
Paragraph 175 of the
German criminal code).[7] The color violet became associated with lesbians via the poetry of
Sappho.[8]
Lipstick flag
The lipstick lesbian flag was introduced in 2010 in the
weblogThis Lesbian Life.[9][10] The design contains a red kiss in the left corner, superimposed on seven stripes consisting of six shades of red and pink colors and a white bar in the center.[11][12] The lipstick lesbian flag represents "homosexual women who have a more feminine gender expression",[13] however it has not been widely adopted.[1] Some lesbians have argued that the lipstick flag does not also represent
butch lesbians, while others oppose its use due to controversial comments made by the flag's designer on her blog.[14][15]
Pink flag
The "pink" lesbian flag was derived from the colors of the lipstick lesbian flag, with the kiss mark excluded.[12] The pink flag attracted more use as a general lesbian pride flag.[16]
Orange-Pink flag
The "orange-pink" lesbian flag, modeled after the seven-band pink flag, was introduced on
Tumblr by
blogger Emily Gwen in 2018.[17][18] The colors include dark orange for "gender non-conformity", orange for "independence", light orange for "community", white for "unique relationships to womanhood", pink for "serenity and peace", dusty pink for "love and sex", and dark rose for "femininity".[18] A five-stripes version was soon derived from the 2018 colors.[19]
^"Gay Symbols Through the Ages". The Alyson Almanac: A Treasury of Information for the Gay and Lesbian Community. Boston, Massachusetts:
Alyson Publications. 1989. pp.
99–100.
ISBN0-932870-19-8.