The sunset lesbian flag, the sun and moon lesbian flags, and the butch lesbian flags are all okay to use too. even if i wasn't writing much. We don't really have an official flag. 2021 a good year for me in terms of making art! "The term 'lipstick lesbian' itself carried a lot of baggage," says Caroline Radesky, PhD, review editor of the American Historical Association's Committee on LBGT History and visiting assistant professor of history at the University of Iowa. This version has evolved into variants of the colours and also removal of the lips. Do you, fam.) Okay so it's midnight and we're nearing June so. Before Ellen Degeneres, a woman who's openly lesbian, became a TV show host, nobody was really talking about LGBT stuff as a whole, neither in a good nor bad light. (ID for anyone who needs it: It's a purple flag with an upside-down black triangle in the center and a white labrys inside the upside-down black triangle. The top red stripe represents "gender non-conformity," while the orange stripe below that is for "independence." Address 3: 500 Church Street, Penetanguishene, ON, L9M 1G3. Lesbians are part of a rich tapestry of human sexuality. [10][11] 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. The lesbian community is no exceptionin fact, there have been multiple iterations of lesbian pride flags created. The orange shades are very saturated. It's definitely a historical flag; however, I would feel like I'm being disrespectful towards the people who were forced to wear that symbol during the H0l0caust as well as towards their descendants if I ever used that flag. With me, yellow doesn't make me happy whatsoever. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features. The first lesbian pride flag was designed in 1999 by graphic designer Sean Campbell. ", "A Complete Guide To All The LGBTQ+ Flags & What They Mean", "Triangles and Tribulations: The Politics of Nazi Symbols", "Four Flowering Plants That Have Been Decidedly Queered (Sapphic Violets)", "18 Pride flags you might not have seen before", "9 Queer Pride Flags That You Probably Didn't Know About", "Pride flag guide: what the different flags look like, and what they all mean", "LGBTQ Pride flags go beyond the classic rainbow. Under the Nazi regime, women who did not conform to Nazi ideals would be sent to concentration camps and marked with an upside down black triangle badge for identification and men would be forced to wear the same in pink. But please know that, yes, you can use the flag if you want without liking the creator. As long as you're not being a cunt to lesbians who choose not to use it/can't use it/don't like it, I couldn't care less. Unveiled on Tumblr, blog since deleted.Butch lesbian flag. The collection comprises approximately 80,000 objects from around the world,, Company Registration Number: 02456393 - Charity Registration Number: 802725 - Charity registered in England and Wales, We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. We hope you enjoy our timeline as much as we did putting it together! You just gotta look. The flag only represents a small group of lesbians. White represents the various aspects of womanhood. I have a post about at least the main flags that people know coming soon. I'm not saying any of this to be mean. I know that I rambled, but I felt the need to explain things clearly. Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. It's disgusting, it makes me uncomfy, and I don't know why anyone would use it. In order to do that, its essential to know how we came to where we are today as members of society who strive for equality. The fifth is a mirror selfie of a white person with blonde hair waving at the camera. ", The lipstick lesbian flag first appeared on a blog, prompting additional concerns about the creator's political views, notes Del Rio. Not once have I ever tried to force or convince ANYONE to use the all-pink lesbian flag instead to make ME comfortable. I understand it's not everyone who's doing this, so please don't think that I'm talking about you! You don't get to dictate what flags I should and shouldn't use. That goes for other lesbian flags that other people have made. It's okay to use! I have been using the reclaimed all-pink lesbian flag for five years. Still working on that part honestly) myself). Twitter user, Emily Gwen created a flag which is inclusive of butch women, Trans women, and non-conforming women. I'll put the two flags side by side below. There are a lot of young kids in the LGBT community on here who have probably never seen the flags Gilbert Baker made, and I want to help change that. Rachael Minott, Curator of Anthropology (Social Practice), has been looking at the different expressions of love in the World Gallery. This cookie is set by doubleclick.net. And while some lesbians feel represented by the rainbow flag, there is certainly a lesbian pride flag or flags to represent this group (or as some would argue, groups within the group), each with different meanings. Everything you need to know about the lesbian flag, Readers Guide to Lesbian and Gay Studies, Timothy F Murphy, Violets, Bi-Angles, And Double Moons: A Guide To LGBTQ+ Symbols, Amazon Warriors Did Indeed Fight and Die Like Men. "[Purple] plays a significant role across time and across communities," Del Rio explains. The creator of the lipstick lesbian flag has also been accused on social media of being biphobic and transphobic for alleged comments attributed to her, and of being racist for a comment published in her blog This Lesbian Life. Please stop mixing up the two. Though the creator wasn't a lesbian, the flag's symbolism is rooted in lesbian history and referenced significant lesbian imagery. In conversations, she has learned a number of people prefer the Progress Flag, another revision of the rainbow pride flag designed by Daniel Quasar in 2018. [19][2][dubious discuss], Some individuals have criticized the labrys lesbian flag for its use by "trans-exclusionary radical feminists",[20] and because it was originally designed by a man. Recently, more inclusive iterations of the iconic flag have come into popularity, including those with additional stripes to represent the transgender community and people of color. Violets were another early lesbian symbol, dating back to c.600 BC. The intention was to be more inclusive because some lesbians weren't happy with the all-pink lesbian flag. You don't have to. Back in the seventies, before the creation of this flag, the lesbian feminist community adopted the labrys as a symbol of empowerment. That's my choice and I'm sticking to it. [8] 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). Specifically, the Nazis used a black upside-down triangle to mark gay women during the second world war. "I've seen references to problematic and concerning statements that the creator had made," she says, referring to reports of biphobic and racist comments the creator posted online and has since deleted. ETA for clarification: My opinions on usage of certain flags is just that: OPINIONS. You don't get to fucking harass people because of misinformation that you choose to believe. It causes distress for me physically, mentally, and emotionally. /end id]. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Although personal preferences exist, as well as various controversies, no design has been widely accepted by the community as the lesbian flag. The design is a complete copy of the cougar pride flag that was created by Fausto Ferns in 2008. You don't have to like it. Natalie McCray designed the lipstick lesbian pride flag, first made public in 2010 on the blog This Lesbian Life. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, 20 trailblazing non-binary celebs you need to know, Schoolboy goes viral on Twitter for prom dress, Big changes made to rules on single-sex toilets, The expert fingering guide you need in your life, Lesbian flag: The history, origins, meaning and symbolism, Cosmopolitan, Part of the Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network. This cookie is set by Youtube. Cosmopolitan participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. I'm not talking about you. And then theres the color purple "representing Sappho [an ancient Greek poet from the island of Lesbos whose name inspired the terms 'sapphic' and 'lesbian'] and women loving women," explains Radesky. In the middle of the last century, lesbian women would give violets to women as an indication of sapphic desire. The lightest pink symbolizes Serenity and Peace. The fourth shows a fruit tart with brightly colored fruit. A color that autistic people generally like is pink, according to these studies. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The three top stripes are in different shades of pink, one stripe is white, and the remaining three bottom stripes are in different shades of red. However, I've had enough people actually coming into my messages to start shit with me for something that doesn't even matter, trying to tell me what to do (like they have any authority over me), and they think it's okay to do this to other people. If you have questions about the flags I use and need more information, I will do my best to answer them. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The history of the term lipstick lesbian and the eye-roll worthy multi-pink flag makes me feel like that particular identity is used as a means of straight-washing a queer identity and phenomenon. The truth is that no one knows where it came from. I wouldn't do anything of the sort, and you KNOW that. At the time lesbians were stereotyped as masculine and unappealing to the largely male audience, so the porn industry started using lipstick lesbian on the packaging to identify femme-on-femme pornography. I don't know what Campbell's intentions were when he made this flag, but I doubt he made the labrys flag with bad intentions. Trying to force me or convince me to use a flag that genuinely causes me distress isn't going to magically make me start using it. Debating over which lesbian flag is the "right one" to use, harassing me over using mainly the all-pink lesbian flag, etc., is what I have issues with. They're flags I'd like to use in edits in the near future. There were. The all-pink lesbian flag is NOT the lipstick lesbian pride flag. [1][2] The design involves a labrys, a type of double-headed axe, superimposed on the inverted black triangle, set against a violet background. Today we're going to talk about the basic lesbian pride flags that were made over the years. As the design is mainly shades of pink and features a kiss mark, it has been seen as femme-only excluding butch. I personally don't reclaim the black triangle and morally, I can't.). Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. McCray was also accused of holding transphobic and exclusionist ideals, and her flag design was quickly dropped by most people within the community. Oh, boy. These are more like recommendations, if you will, with some sources to back them up. Did you think I'd be sweet as the fudge I make and magically change the flag I use to identify myself with for you to make YOU comfortable? (If you can guess who correctly, I'll make you whatever pride flag edits you want.). It has ALWAYS included trans lesbians and butch lesbians, as well as lesbians who aren't completely butch or completely femme (like me), asexual lesbians, aromantic lesbians, and polyamourous lesbians. The red lipstick is depicted in the upper left corner. [3][4] In the 1970s it was adopted as a symbol of empowerment by the lesbian feminist community. If new flags, or more inclusive versions of our flags make people feel more seen and affirmed Im all for it. I've definitely tried looking for them. The last image is of a sunset in a rear-view window. The cookie is used to support Cloudfare Bot Management. to Natalie McCray (who had NOTHING to do with the pink lesbian flag) and it was made to represent all lesbians! I'm just one lesbian with my own opinions. Or you can always make your own, if none that you find appeal to you. "I think a lot of people understood it as a reaction to the lipstick lesbian flag because some butch folks didnt feel represented in that flag," explains Radesky. Kendall confirms Devin reunion after split reports, Charithra Chandrans new full fringe is #HairGoals, Love Island fans are creasing over parents moment, Why reality dating shows are taking over TV. If not, why?". I find the lipstick lesbian flag to be offensive in its many shades of pink and because the term lipstick lesbian was used as a means of marketing lesbian porn to cis/straight men in the late 70s and early 80s. "A true flag is torn from the soul of the people," Baker told CBS Chicago in 2012. [16][17] 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". But for fuck's sake, please stop spreading misinformation and slandering it. Naydeline Mejia is a freelance contributor at Cosmopolitan, where she writes about sex and dating. I'll put that flag into good use in an edit soon. If you can't tell, I love this flag! We also use third-party cookies that help us analyse and understand how you use this website. "My understanding is he was putting together a series of flags to represent different communities," says Del Rio. Next, the light orange stripe honors "community," followed by white symbolizing "unique relationships to womanhood," pink for "serenity and peace," mauve for "love and sex," and lastly, magenta for "femininity.". ), (ID for anyone who needs it: It's a seven striped flag. None of them have caught on in the way the Pride flag or the trans flags have caught on. Del Rio is also the co-chair of the American Historical Association's Committee on LGBT History, the creator and coordinator of Lavender LaGuardia, the college's LGBTQIA+ faculty and staff group, and the co-coordinator of Clinic Escorts for NYC. I love butch, trans, and BIPOC lesbians! Some are a bit of a "hot button" topic because people literally believe everything they hear, see, and read on the internet about lesbian flags specifically. Address: 539 W. Commerce St, Suite 2859 Dallas, TX 75208, Address 2: EXPEDITEE EU LIMITED 27 Old Gloucester Street, London, United Kingdom, WC1N3AX. Concerning the axe, which is also called the labrys (building the name of this flag), it comes from Greek mythology and early history. In the 90s and early 00s lipstick lesbian chic became a trend in media where feminine-presenting lesbians were pushed forward as more normal than their gender non-conforming counterparts in the community. The labrys is front and center since, in the 1970s, it was a popular lesbian feminist symbol. I wouldn't ask for that out of you. The third shows a clay figure looking down at a butterfly on its arm. As far as whether I'm an ace lesbian or an aro lesbian goes, I experience both romantic and sexual attraction to other women. "There is enough concern about the position of the creator to knock [this flag] out of contention to be the lesbian flagwith or without the lips on it.". When I was growing up it was always "gay marriage" and "gay rights" and "that's so gay" I dunno if I had conformation bias but it felt like it was all I ever heard and, That's just another way of saying lesbian, and it signified that me and the boy in my grade who collected bratz dolls, we were the same. Others were just unaware entirely of these flags," Del Rio adds. I use six lesbian pride flags, including the all-pink one. Though the rainbow flag aimed to celebrate the queer community as a whole, not everyone was represented. Fun fact: lesbians were the only ones who donated blood to help gays during the AIDS crisis in the 80s and 90s. There's so damn many flags, it doesn't really matter too much at the end of the day. [18], Some lesbian flags have been controversial for different reasons. There are some pride flags with these colors that don't give me sensory issues, and that's because there's either only touches of orange and/or yellow, or the color scheme has shades of these colors that are easy on my eyes. It has become a well-known symbol for lesbians worldwide, appearing in everything from television shows (such as Orange Is the New Black) to lesbian magazines. And while I know that the lesbian experience is different from that of gay men, so are different lesbian experiences. The eighth shows chocolate eclairs on a baking sheet. Until it gets through your thick skulls! Certain colors have a different affect on me than they might have on you. Specifically, the current version has only five stripes, including two orange stripes, two pink stripes, and one white stripe in the middle. The upside down black triangle, which serves as a backdrop for the labrys, represents the Holocaust and the triangles Nazis used to mark lesbians in concentration camps. Additional meaning unknown. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Understandably so! [17] A five-stripes version was soon derived from the 2018 colors. Well, the all-pink one that I've been using for years and in my edits was reclaimed. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website. I use them because they don't give me sensory issues, I find them pretty, and I feel included in them. Flags are symbols of pride and power. The lipstick lesbian flag has been criticized for excluding butch lesbians, and some members of the lesbian community do not consider the derivative pink lesbian flag to be inclusive of butches, either. This symbol represents the power of feminism of homosexual females (including Greek Gods and ordinary people). Thespoondragon - @ http://queerstoryfiles.blogspot.com/2012/06/putting-out-sean-campbells-flags.html, By xles - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41430367. Last thing I need to say is something that I know some people will take the wrong way. This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users. Stop dragging me into discourse. (Even though the color purple has always been associated with lesbians????? This flag moves away from the blues and purples displayed in the original butch pride flag, instead using reds, oranges, and browns to represent butch, non-femme, and androgynous lesbians. In fact, the importance of these flags is rooted less in the final product and more in the creation process. You don't have to use the all-pink one though. As a result, another version of the flag appeared on Emily Gwens Tumblr Blog in the same year. Let's move on! Orange and pink in my opinion very rarely work together. It includes white, pink, and light blue in honor of trans folks and brown and black for people of color and those lost to AIDS. I will link a few articles about both of these triangles, as well as the magazine this flag appeared in (IF I'm able to find it). Let me show you the reclaimed flag, the one I use. If you want to, sure! I don't think that I as a lesbian need a seperate flag. There was also a slur used in the late '60s and early '70s that referred to lesbians as "lavender menaces." Because the colors were drawn from shades of lipstick without any other notable significance to the community, many were concerned about it excluding butch, non-femme, and androgynous lesbians. "My Best Sex Ever Was With a Married Couple", This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. The lack of a strong pull to adopt a lesbian flag, she says, varies. You have NO say in the matter, regardless of whether you're a lesbian yourself or not. (Yes, I would've rather seen a flag like this be created by a lesbian instead [OBVIOUSLY NOT LIKE THIS! The first flag we need to talk about is the Labrys Lesbian flag. Lesbians who use this flag, you're not evil or a bad person for using it, okay? What is the Rubber pride flag and what does it mean? Women's Health participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. It is, however, not so many of them fly it. Any attempts made to start debates over flags I use to identify myself with will be automatically blocked and deleted. You don't need to change your pride flag to cater to me. THEY'RE TWO DIFFERENT FLAGS MADE BY TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. If you could stop slandering the all-pink flag and stop spreading misinformation about it all because you don't like it, that'd be great. It was reclaimed and adopted by lesbian activists, Del Rio says. Like the rainbow pride flag, it's striped, but instead of an assortment of colors, it features various shades of pink and purple. The lipstick lesbian flag. The Best Lesbian Dating Apps For The 21st Century. Plus the mspec lesbian hate with the "criticism" that it means more lesbians will get assaulted or whatever, love the blaming /s. To put it layman's terms, I don't exactly conform to gender roles that women are expected to fit into. Although Campbell is not a female (he is a gay transgender man), his design carries, , the Nazis used a black upside-down triangle to mark gay women during the second world war, the violet backdrop, the meaning of this color, the axe, which is also called the labrys (building the name of this flag), it comes from Greek mythology and early history, #3 Lesbian Pride Flag Without the Red Lipstick (2010). This cookie is set by CloudFare. Youll of course see the rainbow flag flying proudly at Pride celebrations around the world as well as many others that represent different sections of the LGBTQ+ community. [12][13] The lipstick lesbian flag represents "homosexual women who have a more feminine gender expression",[14] but has not been widely adopted. I self-identify as femme because for me, Im not feminine-presenting because society tells me to, but because my gender expression most accurately reflects my perception of self. Fine. Women's Health may earn commission from the links on this page, but we only feature products we believe in. The orange shades in the sunset lesbian flag hurt my eyes due to how saturated they are (most shades of orange look more saturated to me), the color combination of orange, white and pink upsets me, it gives me headaches, and it definitely changes my mood in not so good ways. The History and Meaning Of The Lesbian Pride Flag Is Nuanced And Ever-Evolving, Aryelle Siclait is the editor at Women's Health where she writes and edits articles about relationships, sexual health, pop culture, and fashion for verticals across. I made a post mentioning the flags I use a while ago. Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device, Zaobao: Love and listen: how parents can accept their queer children. It is requested strictly for historical purposes, like any time during Pride Month, visibility days, etc. The lipstick lesbian pride flag was created by Natalie McCray back in 2010. So, read on to find out what these lesbian pride flags are and what they imply! Just posting these meanings again so I can pin it pic.twitter.com/oyRHzQgbC9. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Therefore, there is no reason that lesbians wont use it widely today. Thanks to social media, more people have the power to be empowered and create representations for their own identities and send them out into the world. #PrideMonth starts today. It's shown below. I have these same thoughts and feelings about this flag, the discourse around it, and the creator of it. Can't you use that instead? What did you think you were going to get out of messaging me with misinformation about the main flag I use to identify myself with? A quick online search of "lesbian flag" will likely bring up images of what's known as the "lipstick lesbian flag" ("lipstick" referring to lesbians who present as traditionally feminine). Despite the change in layout, it remains the same meanings and symbolism. #the all pink lesbian flag = okay to use! Meet the experts: Chelsea Del Rio, PhD, is an associate professor of history in the Social Science Department and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Option at CUNY LaGuardia Community College. It's unlikely that you'll find any polar identification with any specific lesbian flag, Del Rio says. It's nobody here. I personally use a few others besides the all-pink one. Unless you're a lesbian who's Jewish, Romani, and/or Sinti, who's reclaiming this flag, I personally don't recommend using the labrys flag.