A few symbols that you may come across.
black triangle
--in the Nazi concentration camps, the black triangle (equilateral, worn point down) was used to mark "undesirables," such as prostitutes, the mentally ill, and the retarded. Lesbians in the camp also wore the black triangle. It is sometimes worn as a pride symbol by lesbians.
freedom rings
--a set of (usually 6) rings of aluminum or some other substance in the colors of the rainbow. Worn on one's person or adorning some personal object, they usually indicate that the owner is gay (or gay-friendly). The rings are based on the rainbow flag, a gay pride symbol. A subtlety sometimes ignored is that if the red ring is towards the wearer's right hand, they are gay. If it is towards their left hand, they are straight and gay-friendly.
gold-star
--a lesbian who never has had and never intends to have sex with a man. Sometimes they also get points for never sleeping with bisexuals. Entirely too many of them get terribly self-righteous about it, and look down on bisexuals and lesbians who have had sex with men.
lavender
--a color associated with gays since Ancient Greece, where the Greek word for lavender also meant a gay man
pink
--a color frequently associated with homosexuals
pinky ring
--at one time, worn by both men and women to signify that one was queer. Usually worn on the left hand.
purple star
--usually enamel, worn in the seventies as a symbol of lesbianism
rainbow or rainbow flag
--a gay pride symbol, designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978, originally having eight stripes: hot pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, which stood for sexuality, life, healing, the sun, nature or serenity, art, harmony, and spirit. The hot pink stripe was dropped when flag makers couldn't find suitable material, and the indigo stripe was dropped to make the flag more balanced, so that three stripes could hang on either side of lampposts at Pride Parades.
ribbons
--the most specific to queer issues is the rainbow ribbon. Again, it has the same meaning as other rainbow symbols on this list. This is the most common symbol worn by straight people to show they support gay/lesbian community and issues. The red ribbon shows support for aids and hiv sufferers. Its color symbolizes both blood and compassion, and it was created in 1991 by paul jabara. This is a very prevalent gay symbol because this is homosexual men have been the hardest hit group. Sometimes you can find it on pins where it is half red and half rainbow. The pink ribbon is for breast cancer and is a strong lesbian cause because women who do not have children are more likely to get the disease. Lastly, the white ribbon, though less common and not easily recognized, represents suicide among gay/lesbian teens who have to deal with overwhelming stress.
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