A pride flag is any flag that represents a segment or part of the LGBTQ community . Pride in this case refers to the notion of LGBTQ pride . The terms LGBTQ flag and queer flag are often used interchangeably.
118-516: Pride flags can represent various sexual orientations , romantic orientations , gender identities , subcultures , and regional purposes, as well as the LGBTQ community as a whole. There are also some pride flags that are not exclusively related to LGBTQ matters, such as the flag for leather subculture . The rainbow flag , which represents the entire LGBTQ community, is the most widely used pride flag. Numerous communities have embraced distinct flags, with
236-485: A bisexual contingent for the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987. The design of the biangles began with the pink triangle , a Nazi concentration camp badge that later became a symbol of gay liberation representing homosexuality . The addition of a blue triangle contrasts the pink and represents heterosexuality . The two triangles overlap and form lavender, which represents
354-492: A co-factor interacting with genes or environmental and social conditions. For humans, the norm is that females possess two X sex chromosomes, while males have one X and one Y. The default developmental pathway for a human fetus being female, the Y chromosome is what induces the changes necessary to shift to the male developmental pathway. This differentiation process is driven by androgen hormones, mainly testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The newly formed testicles in
472-445: A combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences. In recent decades, biologically based theories have been favored by experts. Although there continues to be controversy and uncertainty as to the genesis of the variety of human sexual orientations, there is no scientific evidence that abnormal parenting, sexual abuse, or other adverse life events influence sexual orientation. Current knowledge suggests that sexual orientation
590-412: A community of others who share those attractions". Androphilia and gynephilia are terms used in behavioral science to describe sexual orientation as an alternative to a gender binary conceptualization. Androphilia describes sexual attraction to masculinity ; gynephilia describes the sexual attraction to femininity . The term sexual preference largely overlaps with sexual orientation, but
708-472: A complex interplay of genetic factors and the early uterine environment, they favor biological models for the cause. There is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial, biological causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males. Scientists do not believe that sexual orientation is a choice, and some of them believe that it is established at conception. Current scientific investigation usually seeks to find biological explanations for
826-487: A double crescent moon symbol of bisexuality was devised by Vivian Wagner in 1998. This symbol is common in Germany and surrounding countries. The ace ring , a black ring worn on the middle finger of one's right hand, is a way asexual people signify their asexuality. The ring is deliberately worn in a similar manner as one would a wedding ring to symbolize marriage. Use of the symbol began in 2005. The aro ring ,
944-557: A green carnation on his lapel. According to some interpretations, American poet Walt Whitman used the sweet flag plant to represent homoerotic male love because of its phallic connotations. The term bara ( 薔薇 ) , " rose " in Japanese, has historically been used in Japan as a pejorative for men who love men , roughly equivalent to the English language term " pansy ". Beginning in
1062-406: A majority drawing inspiration from the rainbow flag. These flags are often created by amateur designers and later gain traction online or within affiliated organizations, ultimately attaining a semi-official status as a symbolic representation of the community. Typically, these flags incorporate a range of colors that symbolize different aspects of the associated communities. Gilbert Baker designed
1180-547: A majority of the gay men and lesbians sampled in multiple studies reported "substantially more" cross-sex-typed behavior in childhood than heterosexual subjects. Sexual orientation sees greater intricacy when non-binary understandings of both sex and gender are considered. Sociologist Paula Rodriguez Rust (2000) argues for a more multifaceted definition of sexual orientation: Most alternative models of sexuality... define sexual orientation in terms of dichotomous biological sex or gender... Most theorists would not eliminate
1298-568: A metaphor for sexual pursuits. Violets and their color became a special code used by lesbians and bisexual women. The symbolism of the flower derives from several fragments of poems by Sappho in which she describes a lover wearing garlands or a crown with violets. In 1926, the play La Prisonnière by Édouard Bourdet used a bouquet of violets to signify lesbian love. When the play became subject to censorship, many Parisian lesbians wore violets to demonstrate solidarity with its lesbian subject matter. White lilies have been used since
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#17328582645041416-479: A minority of people having a homosexual or bisexual orientation. A person's sexual orientation can be anywhere on a continuum , from exclusive attraction to the opposite sex to exclusive attraction to the same sex. Sexual orientation is studied primarily within biology , anthropology , and psychology (including sexology ), but it is also a subject area in sociology , history (including social constructionist perspectives), and law . Sexual orientation
1534-496: A person's perception of their own sex , rather than sexual orientation. The term sexual preference has a similar meaning to sexual orientation , and the two terms are often used interchangeably, but the American Psychological Association states sexual preference suggests a degree of voluntary choice. The term has been listed by the American Psychological Association's Committee on Gay and Lesbian Concerns as
1652-557: A prominent symbol of love between males is supposedly derived from the Greek myth of King Laius having affairs with boys under rose trees. Since the 2000s, bara has been used by non-Japanese audience as an umbrella term to describe a wide variety of Japanese and non-Japanese gay media featuring love and sex between masculine men . The rose is also the sacred flower of Eros , the Greek god of love and sex, and patron of love between men. Eros
1770-456: A special edition Blåhaj in the colors of a transgender pride flag, with the winner's name embroidered on its fin. Daniel Thaxton and Bernie Toale created a lavender rhinoceros symbol for a public ad campaign to increase visibility for gay people in Boston helmed by Gay Media Action-Advertising; Toale said they chose a rhinoceros because "it is a much maligned and misunderstood animal" and that it
1888-604: A specific sexual orientation identity outcome. In 2012, the Pan American Health Organization (the North and South American branch of the World Health Organization ) released a statement cautioning against services that purport to "cure" people with non-heterosexual sexual orientations, as they lack medical justification, and represent a threat to the health and well-being of affected people. They noted that
2006-486: A statute which made homosexual acts between males a crime. Lesbian sexual relations were illegal only in Austria and historians differ on whether they were persecuted or not, due to lack of evidence. Some lesbians were imprisoned with a black triangle symbolizing supposed "asociality", this symbol was later reclaimed by postwar lesbians. The biangles symbol of bisexuality was designed by artist Liz Nania, as she co-organized
2124-625: A subject's object of attraction without attributing a sex assignment or gender identity to the subject. Related terms such as pansexual and polysexual do not make any such assignations to the subject. People may also use terms such as queer , pansensual, polyfidelitous , ambisexual, or personalized identities such as byke or biphilic . Using androphilia and gynephilia can avoid confusion and offense when describing people in non-western cultures, as well as when describing intersex and transgender people. Psychiatrist Anil Aggrawal explains that androphilia, along with gynephilia,
2242-463: A symbol of LGBTQ culture due to earlier associations between the animal and rainbows being extended to the rainbow flag created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker . Alice Fisher of The Guardian wrote in 2017, "The unicorn has also done its bit for the LGBT community in the last century... Rainbows and unicorns are so intrinsically linked (the association is also a Victorian invention) that it's unsurprising that
2360-443: A symbol. The icon has established itself as an example of the phenomenon of reappropriation of elements of the anti-LGBTQ discourse in contemporary society through social networks. Other versions derived from the original symbol involving other flags belonging to the LGBTQ community, such as the transgender flag , or the bisexual flag , have also become popular. In the 1970s, the modern handkerchief (or hanky) code emerged in
2478-511: A systematic review of the peer-reviewed journal literature on sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) and concluded: Efforts to change sexual orientation are unlikely to be successful and involve some risk of harm, contrary to the claims of SOCE practitioners and advocates. Even though the research and clinical literature demonstrate that same-sex sexual and romantic attractions, feelings, and behaviors are normal and positive variations of human sexuality, regardless of sexual orientation identity ,
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#17328582645042596-515: A term like "homosexual transsexual" does not align with cultural categories. Some researchers, such as Bruce Bagemihl , have criticized certain ways the labels "heterosexual" and "homosexual" have been used for transgender people, writing, "...the point of reference for 'heterosexual' or 'homosexual' orientation in this nomenclature is solely the individual's genetic sex prior to reassignment (see for example, Blanchard et al. 1987, Coleman and Bockting, 1988, Blanchard, 1989). These labels thereby ignore
2714-416: A white bar in the center. The lipstick lesbian flag represents "homosexual women who have a more feminine gender expression", but has not been widely adopted. Some lesbians are against it because it does not include butch lesbians , while others have accused McCray of writing biphobic , racist, and transphobic comments on her blog. The "pink" lesbian flag was derived from the lipstick lesbian flag but with
2832-480: A white ring, worn on the middle finger on one's left hand is a way aromantic people signify their identity on the aromantic spectrum. Use of the symbol began in 2015. This was chosen as the opposite of the ace ring which is a black ring worn on the right hand. Another symbol often used by aromantic people is arrows or an arrow as the word arrow is a homophone to the shortened word aro used by aromantic people to refer to themselves. Ace playing cards , due to
2950-444: A wording that advances a "heterosexual bias". The term sexual orientation was introduced by sexologist John Money in place of sexual preference , arguing that attraction is not necessarily a matter of free choice. Androphilia and gynephilia (or gynecophilia ) are terms used in behavioral science to describe sexual attraction, as an alternative to a homosexual and heterosexual conceptualization. They are used for identifying
3068-413: Is a sexual orientation. Most definitions of sexual orientation include a psychological component, such as the direction of an individual's erotic desires, or a behavioral component, which focuses on the sex of the individual's sexual partners. Some people prefer simply to follow an individual's self-definition or identity . Scientific and professional understanding is that "the core attractions that form
3186-497: Is an LGBTQ symbol based on the ghost emoji (U+1F47B, "👻") of Android 5.0 . It is a modification of the original icon that uses a background with the colors of the rainbow flag . It became popular in Spain from April 2019 following a tweet posted on the official account of the populist far-right party Vox , after which a multitude of users belonging to the LGBTQ movement began to use it as
3304-445: Is an accepted version of this page Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender , the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns are generally categorized under heterosexuality , homosexuality , and bisexuality , while asexuality (experiencing no sexual attraction to others)
3422-528: Is commonly associated with LGBTQ culture, in particular the transgender community, in part due to being colored similarly to a transgender pride flag . Early origins of this are traced back to around 2020 and in 2021 IKEA ran an ad-campaign to support same-sex marriage in Switzerland featuring the shark. In response to this popularity, IKEA Canada hosted a giveaway in November 2022, offering transgender people
3540-457: Is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial, biological causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males. A major hypothesis implicates the prenatal environment , specifically the organizational effects of hormones on the fetal brain. There is no substantive evidence which suggests parenting or early childhood experiences play a role in developing a sexual orientation. Across cultures, most people are heterosexual, with
3658-406: Is considered an environmental influence . However, environmental influence does not automatically imply that the social environment influences or contributes to the development of sexual orientation. There is a vast non-social environment that is non-genetic yet still biological, such as prenatal development , that likely helps shape sexual orientation. There is no substantive evidence to support
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3776-413: Is generally distinguished in psychological research. A person who identifies as bisexual, for example, may sexually prefer one sex over the other. Sexual preference may also suggest a degree of voluntary choice, whereas sexual orientation is not a choice. Although no single theory on the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread support, scientists favor biological theories . There
3894-426: Is needed to overcome immense difficulties in characterizing the sexual orientation of trans men and trans women. For instance, it is difficult to decide whether a trans man erotically attracted to males is a heterosexual female or a homosexual male; or a trans woman erotically attracted to females is a heterosexual male or a lesbian female. Any attempt to classify them may not only cause confusion but arouse offense among
4012-588: Is no substantive evidence to support the suggestion that the nature of parenting or early childhood experiences play any role in the formation of a person's fundamental heterosexual or homosexual orientation. It would appear that sexual orientation is biological in nature, determined by a complex interplay of genetic factors and the early uterine environment. Sexual orientation is therefore not a choice, though sexual behaviour clearly is. The American Psychiatric Association stated in 2011: No one knows what causes heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality. Homosexuality
4130-450: Is nullified if the man is left-handed. Ray Blanchard and Anthony Bogaert are credited with discovering the effect in the 1990s. J. Michael Bailey and Jacques Balthazart say the FBO effect demonstrates that sexual orientation is heavily influenced by prenatal biological mechanisms rather than unidentified factors in socialization. In the field of genetics, any factor which is non-genetic
4248-778: Is often seen as a public expression or symbol of lesbian identity, particularly on the femme side of the femme-butch spectrum . On October 31, 1969, sixty members of the Gay Liberation Front , the Committee for Homosexual Freedom (CHF), and the Gay Guerilla Theatre group staged a protest outside the offices of the San Francisco Examiner in response to a series of news articles disparaging people in San Francisco's gay bars and clubs. The peaceful protest against
4366-510: Is sometimes identified as the fourth category. These categories are aspects of the more nuanced nature of sexual identity and terminology. For example, people may use other labels , such as pansexual or polysexual , or none at all. According to the American Psychological Association , sexual orientation "also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in
4484-413: Is stable and unchanging for the vast majority of people, but some research indicates that some people may experience change in their sexual orientation, and this is more likely for women than for men. The American Psychological Association distinguishes between sexual orientation (an innate attraction) and sexual orientation identity (which may change at any point in a person's life). The exact causes for
4602-428: Is traditionally defined as including heterosexuality , bisexuality , and homosexuality , while asexuality is considered the fourth category of sexual orientation by some researchers and has been defined as the absence of a traditional sexual orientation. An asexual has little to no sexual attraction to people. It may be considered a lack of a sexual orientation, and there is significant debate over whether or not it
4720-741: Is unclear whether this was the first instance of the term yuri in this context, an association of yuri with lesbianism subsequently developed. In Korea and China , "lily" is used as a semantic loan from the Japanese usage to describe female-female romance media, where each use the direct translation of the term – baekhap (백합) in Korea and bǎihé (百合) in China. The IKEA plush toy shark Blåhaj (stylized BLÅHAJ, Swedish pronunciation: [ˈbloːhaj] , lit. ' blue shark ' ; colloquially anglicised as / ˈ b l ɑː h ɑː ʒ / , / ˈ b l ɑː h ɑː / or / ˈ b l oʊ h aɪ / )
4838-546: Is usually established during early childhood. The American Psychological Association , the American Psychiatric Association , and the National Association of Social Workers in 2006 stated: Currently, there is no scientific consensus about the specific factors that cause an individual to become heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual – including possible biological, psychological, or social effects of
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4956-609: The Examiner turned tumultuous and was later called "Friday of the Purple Hand" and "Bloody Friday of the Purple Hand". Examiner employees "dumped a barrel of printers' ink on the crowd from the roof of the newspaper building", according to glbtq.com . Some reports state that it was a barrel of ink poured from the roof of the building. The protestors "used the ink to scrawl slogans on the building walls" and slap purple hand prints "throughout downtown [San Francisco]" resulting in "one of
5074-451: The LGBTQ community to safely and easily perform digital penetration during sex. The most distinct and modern form of the manicure entails long nail extensions on every finger apart from the index finger , middle finger , and sometimes thumb of the dominant hand , thus preventing injury or discomfort to the vulva or vagina during intercourse while otherwise maintaining the fashion of long acrylic nails in one's daily life. The style
5192-581: The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team during the 1978–1979 season. After retiring from baseball, Burke, who was one of the first openly gay professional athletes, used the high five with other gay residents of the Castro district of San Francisco , and it became a symbol of gay pride . A lesbian manicure (also known as queer manicure, lez nails, or femmicure) is a style or trend of manicure intended to allow lesbians and other queer people in
5310-560: The Romantic era of Japanese literature to symbolize beauty and purity in women, and are a de facto symbol of the yuri genre ( yuri ( 百合 ) translates literally to " lily "), which describes the portrayal of intimate love, sex, or emotional connections between women. The term Yurizoku ( 百合族 , lit. "lily tribe") was coined in 1976 by Ito Bungaku , editor of the gay men's magazine Barazoku (see above), to refer to his female readers. While not all those women were lesbians, and it
5428-414: The maternal immunization hypothesis (MIH), would begin when cells from a male fetus enter the mother's circulation during pregnancy. These cells carry Y-proteins, which are thought to play a role in brain masculinisation (sex-differentiation) during fetal development. The mothers immune system builds antibodies to these Y-proteins. These antibodies are later released on future male fetuses and interfere with
5546-571: The pink triangle (many lesbians also reclaimed the pink triangle although lesbians were not included in Paragraph 175 of the German criminal code ). The color violet became associated with lesbians via the poetry of Sappho . The lipstick lesbian flag was introduced by Natalie McCray in 2010 in the weblog This Lesbian Life . The design contains a red kiss in the left corner, superimposed on seven stripes consisting of six shades of red and pink colors and
5664-407: The pink triangle and the rainbow flag . The female and male gender symbols are derived from the astronomical symbols for the planets Venus and Mars respectively. Following Linnaeus , biologists use the planetary symbol for Venus to represent the female sex , and the planetary symbol for Mars to represent the male sex . Two interlocking female symbols (⚢) represent a lesbian or
5782-529: The "queerness of bisexuality", referencing the Lavender Menace and 1980s and 1990s associations of lavender with queerness . Michael Page stated that when designing the bisexual flag he took the colors and overlap of the flag from the biangles. Some bisexual individuals object to the use of a pink triangle in the biangles symbol of bisexuality (see above), as it was a symbol that Adolf Hitler 's regime used to tag and persecute homosexuals. In response,
5900-470: The 'real world' where bi people blend unnoticeably into both the gay/lesbian and straight communities." Page stated that he took the colors and overlap for the flag from the biangles symbol of bisexuality. The blue and pink overlapping triangle symbol is the biangles symbol of bisexuality, and was designed by artist Liz Nania as she co-organized a bisexual contingent for the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987. The design of
6018-454: The 1960s, the term was reappropriated by Japanese gay media: notably with the 1961 anthology Ba-ra-kei: Ordeal by Roses [ ja ] , a collection of semi-nude photographs of homosexual writer Yukio Mishima by photographer Eikoh Hosoe , and later with Barazoku ( 薔薇族 , lit. "rose tribe") in 1971, the first commercially produced gay magazine in Asia . The use of the rose as
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#17328582645046136-569: The 1976 Boston Pride Parade and on a flag that was raised at Boston City Hall in 1987. Outside of Boston, Theatre Rhinoceros , located in San Francisco , and founded in 1977, based its name on this symbol. Theatre Rhinoceros, also called Theatre Rhino, or The Rhino, is a gay and lesbian theatre. It claims to be the world's longest-running professional queer theatre company. An online bookstore focused on LGBTQ authors and books called "The Lavender Rhino" launched in 2023. Unicorns have become
6254-586: The LGBTQ community as a whole. Since the 2010s, various designs have been proposed to specifically represent the gay male community. The intersex flag was created by Morgan Carpenter of Intersex Human Rights Australia in July 2013 to create a flag "that is not derivative, but is yet firmly grounded in meaning". The organization describes the circle as "unbroken and unornamented, symbolising wholeness and completeness, and our potentialities. We are still fighting for bodily autonomy and genital integrity, and this symbolises
6372-458: The NLGN4Y Y-protein than mothers with heterosexual sons. The effect becomes stronger with each successive male pregnancy, meaning the odds of the next son being gay increase by 38–48%. This does not mean that all or most sons will be gay after several male pregnancies, but rather, the odds of having a gay son increase from approximately 2% for the first born son, to 4% for the second, 6% for
6490-776: The Pan American Health Organization recommended that such malpractices be denounced and subject to sanctions and penalties under national legislation, as they constitute a violation of the ethical principles of health care and violate human rights that are protected by international and regional agreements. LGBTQ symbols#Biangles Over the course of its history, the LGBTQ community has adopted certain symbols for self-identification to demonstrate unity, pride , shared values, and allegiance to one another. These symbols communicate ideas, concepts, and identity both within their communities and to mainstream culture. The two symbols most recognized internationally are
6608-511: The X-chromosome, they found no excess of signal (and no individual genome-wide significant variants) on Xq28 or the rest of the X chromosome. The hormonal theory of sexuality holds that just as exposure to certain hormones plays a role in fetal sex differentiation , hormonal exposure also influences the sexual orientation that emerges later in the adult. Fetal hormones may be seen as either the primary influence upon adult sexual orientation or as
6726-434: The adoption of a particular sexual orientation. Scientific studies have found a number of statistical biological differences between gay people and heterosexuals , which may result from the same underlying cause as sexual orientation itself. Genes may be related to the development of sexual orientation. A twin study from 2001 appears to exclude genes as a major factor, while a twin study from 2010 found that homosexuality
6844-408: The affected subjects. In such cases, while defining sexual attraction, it is best to focus on the object of their attraction rather than on the sex or gender of the subject. Sexologist Milton Diamond writes, "The terms heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual are better used as adjectives, not nouns, and are better applied to behaviors, not people. This usage is particularly advantageous when discussing
6962-548: The basis for adult sexual orientation typically emerge between middle childhood and early adolescence". Sexual orientation differs from sexual identity in that it encompasses relationships with others, while sexual identity is a concept of self. The American Psychological Association states that "[s]exual orientation refers to an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both sexes" and that "[t]his range of behaviors and attractions has been described in various cultures and nations throughout
7080-575: The biangles began with the pink triangle , a Nazi concentration camp badge that later became a symbol of gay liberation representing homosexuality . The addition of a blue triangle contrasts the pink and represents heterosexuality . The two triangles overlap and form lavender, which represents the "queerness of bisexuality", referencing the Lavender Menace and 1980s and 1990s associations of lavender with queerness . Various pride flags have been used to symbolize gay men. Rainbow flags have been used since 1978 to represent both gay men and, subsequently,
7198-592: The closet to oneself, a spouse of the opposite sex, and children can present challenges that are not faced by gay and lesbian people who are not married to people of the opposite sex or do not have children. Often, sexual orientation and sexual orientation identity are not distinguished, which can impact accurately assessing sexual identity and whether or not sexual orientation is able to change; sexual orientation identity can change throughout an individual's life, and may or may not align with biological sex, sexual behavior, or actual sexual orientation. Sexual orientation
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#17328582645047316-471: The colors of the rainbow flag . These rings are worn by themselves or as part of necklaces, bracelets, and keychains. They are a symbol of gay pride, and were originally sold as a fundraiser for the 1991 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade and quickly became a national trend. In June 1992, several of MTV 's on-air hosts wore Freedom Rings in recognition of Pride Month , elevating their visibility. They are sometimes referred to as "Fruit Loops". Gaysper
7434-462: The degree to which a person's sexual attractions , behaviors and identity match, scientists usually use the terms concordance or discordance . Thus, a woman who is attracted to other women, but calls herself heterosexual and only has sexual relations with men, can be said to experience discordance between her sexual orientation (homosexual or lesbian) and her sexual identity and behaviors (heterosexual). Sexual identity may also be used to describe
7552-410: The development of a particular sexual orientation have yet to be established. To date, much research has been conducted to determine the influence of genetics, hormonal action, development dynamics, social and cultural influences—which has led many to think that biology and environment factors play a complex role in forming it. Research has identified several biological factors which may be related to
7670-402: The development of a particular sexual orientation remain unclear, but the current literature and most scholars in the field state that one's sexual orientation is not a choice; that is, individuals do not choose to be homosexual or heterosexual. A variety of theories about the influences on sexual orientation have been proposed. Sexual orientation probably is not determined by any one factor but by
7788-403: The development of sexual orientation, including genes , prenatal hormones , and brain structure. No single controlling cause has been identified, and research is continuing in this area. Although researchers generally believe that sexual orientation is not determined by any one factor but by a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences, with biological factors involving
7906-654: The development of sexual orientation, it does not permit a conclusion based in sound science at the present time as to the cause or causes of sexual orientation, whether homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual. Sexual orientation change efforts are methods that aim to change a same-sex sexual orientation. They may include behavioral techniques, cognitive behavioral therapy , reparative therapy , psychoanalytic techniques, medical approaches, and religious and spiritual approaches. No major mental health professional organization sanctions efforts to change sexual orientation and virtually all of them have adopted policy statements cautioning
8024-430: The fetus are responsible for the secretion of androgens, which will cooperate in driving the sexual differentiation of the developing fetus, including its brain. This results in sexual differences between males and females. This fact has led some scientists to test in various ways the result of modifying androgen exposure levels in mammals during fetus and early life. A significant volume of research has demonstrated that
8142-580: The first county government in the United States to raise the transgender pride flag in 2015. It was raised at City Hall in honor of Philadelphia's 14th Annual Trans Health Conference , and remained next to the US and City of Philadelphia flags for the entirety of the conference. Then- Mayor Michael Nutter gave a speech in honor of the trans community's acceptance in Philadelphia. Sexual orientation This
8260-558: The form of bandanas , worn in back pockets, in colors that signaled sexual interests, fetishes, and if the wearer was a "top" or "bottom" . It was popular among the gay leather community of the United States and the cruising scene more broadly. There are many origin stories of the high five , but the two most documented candidates are Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke of the Los Angeles Dodgers professional baseball team on October 2, 1977, and Wiley Brown and Derek Smith of
8378-610: The global scientific and professional consensus is that homosexuality is a normal and natural variation of human sexuality and cannot be regarded as a pathological condition. The Pan American Health Organization further called on governments, academic institutions, professional associations and the media to expose these practices and to promote respect for diversity. The World Health Organization affiliate further noted that gay minors have sometimes been forced to attend these "therapies" involuntarily, being deprived of their liberty and sometimes kept in isolation for several months. Additionally,
8496-533: The ground." The accounts of police brutality include women being thrown to the ground and protesters' teeth being knocked out. Inspired by Black Hand extortion methods of Camorra gangsters and the Mafia , some gay and lesbian activists attempted to institute "purple hand" as a symbol against anti-gay attacks, but the symbol was only briefly used. In Turkey, the LGBTQ rights organization MorEl Eskişehir LGBTT Oluşumu (Purple Hand Eskişehir LGBT Formation) bears
8614-610: The individual's personal sense of gender identity taking precedence over biological sex, rather than the other way around." Bagemihl goes on to take issue with the way this terminology makes it easy to claim transsexuals are really homosexual males seeking to escape from stigma. Terms have been proposed for sexual attraction to a person born male with a feminine gender expression, including gynandromorphophilia (adjective: gynandromorphophilic ) and gynemimetophilia (adj.: gynemimetophilic ). The earliest writers on sexual orientation usually understood it to be intrinsically linked to
8732-541: The individual, and orientation referring to "fantasies, attachments and longings." Individuals may or may not express their sexual orientation in their behaviors. People who have a non-heterosexual sexual orientation that does not align with their sexual identity are sometimes referred to as ' closeted '. The term may, however, reflect a certain cultural context and particular stage of transition in societies which are gradually dealing with integrating sexual minorities. In studies related to sexual orientation, when dealing with
8850-641: 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 . In the 1970s it was adopted as a symbol of empowerment by the lesbian feminist community. 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 and wore an inverted black triangle badge to identify them. Some lesbians reclaimed this symbol as gay men reclaimed
8968-503: The kiss mark removed. The pink flag attracted more use as a general lesbian pride flag. The "orange-pink" lesbian flag, modeled after the seven-band pink flag, was introduced on Tumblr by blogger Emily Gwen in 2018. 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". A five-stripes version
9086-448: The lesbian community, and two interlocking male symbols (⚣) a gay male or the gay male community. These symbols first appeared in the 1970s. The combined male-female symbol (⚦) is used to represent androgyne or transgender people; when additionally combined with the female (♀) and male (♂) symbols (⚧) it indicates gender inclusivity, though it is also used as a transgender symbol. In 1970, graphic designer Tom Doerr selected
9204-598: The lower-case Greek letter lambda (λ) to be the symbol of the New York chapter of the Gay Activists Alliance . The alliance's literature states that Doerr chose the symbol specifically for its denotative meaning in the context of chemistry and physics : "a complete exchange of energy–that moment or span of time witness to absolute activity". The lambda became associated with gay liberation , and in December 1974, it
9322-442: The magic creature started to appear on T-shirts and banners at Gay Pride around the world, with slogans such as 'Gender is Imaginary' or 'Totally Straight' emblazoned under sparkling rainbow unicorns." Gay Star News said in 2018 that unicorns are the "gay, LGBTI and queer icons of our time". Symbols of the LGBTQ community have been used to represent members' unity, pride, shared values, and allegiance to one another. One of
9440-402: The masculinization role of Y-proteins, leaving regions of the brain responsible for sexual orientation in the 'default' female-typical arrangement, causing the exposed son to be more attracted to men over women. Biochemical evidence for this hypothesis was identified in 2017, finding that mothers with a gay son, especially those with older brothers, had significantly higher levels of anti-bodies to
9558-438: The meaning of the flag as follows: The stripes at the top and bottom are light blue, the traditional color for baby boys . The stripes next to them are pink, the traditional color for baby girls . The white stripe is for people that are nonbinary, feel that they don't have a gender. The pattern is such that no matter which way you fly it, it is always correct, signifying us finding correctness in our lives. Philadelphia became
9676-465: The most visible demonstrations of gay power" according to the Bay Area Reporter . According to Larry LittleJohn, then president of Society for Individual Rights , "At that point, the tactical squad arrived — not to get the employees who dumped the ink, but to arrest the demonstrators. Somebody could have been hurt if that ink had gotten into their eyes, but the police were knocking people to
9794-438: The name of this symbol. The white knot is a symbol of support for same-sex marriage in the United States. The white knot combines two symbols of marriage, the color white and " tying the knot ," to represent support for same-sex marriage . The white knot has been worn publicly by many celebrities as a means of demonstrating solidarity with that cause. The white knot was created by Frank Voci in November 2008, in response to
9912-419: The oldest of these symbols is the downward-pointing pink triangle that male homosexuals, male bisexuals, and transgender women in Nazi concentration camps were required to wear on their clothing. The badge is one of several badges that internees wore to identify what kind of prisoners they were. Many of the estimated 5,000–15,000 gay men imprisoned in concentration camps did not survive. The pink triangle
10030-403: The parents' sexual orientation. However, the available evidence indicates that the vast majority of lesbian and gay adults were raised by heterosexual parents and the vast majority of children raised by lesbian and gay parents eventually grow up to be heterosexual. The Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2007 stated: Despite almost a century of psychoanalytic and psychological speculation, there
10148-500: The partners of transsexual or intersexed individuals. These newer terms also do not carry the social weight of the former ones." Some researchers advocate use of the terminology to avoid bias inherent in Western conceptualizations of human sexuality. Writing about the Samoan fa'afafine demographic, sociologist Johanna Schmidt writes that in cultures where a third gender is recognized,
10266-584: The passage of Proposition 8 in California and bans on same-sex marriage and denial of other civil rights for LGBTQ persons across the nation. A pride flag is any flag that represents a segment or part of the LGBTQ community . Pride in this case refers to the notion of LGBTQ pride . The terms LGBTQ flag and queer flag are often used interchangeably. Pride flags can represent various sexual orientations , romantic orientations , gender identities , subcultures , and regional purposes, as well as
10384-788: The pericentromeric region. The authors concluded that "our findings, taken in context with previous work, suggest that genetic variation in each of these regions contributes to development of the important psychological trait of male sexual orientation." It was the largest study of the genetic basis of homosexuality to date and was published online in November 2014. However, in August 2019, a genome-wide association study of 493,001 individuals concluded that hundreds or thousands of genetic variants underlie homosexual behavior in both sexes, with 5 variants in particular being significantly associated. They stated that in contrast to linkage studies that found substantial association of sexual orientation with variants on
10502-479: The phonetic shortening from asexual to ace, are sometimes used to represent asexuality. The ace of hearts and ace of spades are used to symbolize romantic asexuality and aromantic asexuality respectively. Likewise, the ace of clubs is used to symbolize gray asexuality and grayromanticism , and the ace of diamonds is used to symbolize demiromanticism and demisexuality . Freedom Rings, designed by David Spada in 1991, are six aluminum rings, each in one of
10620-411: The possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social, and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation – heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality – is determined by any particular factor or factors. The evaluation of amici is that, although some of this research may be promising in facilitating greater understanding of
10738-452: The probability of a male growing up to be gay increases with each older brother he has from the same mother. Known as the fraternal birth order (FBO) effect, scientists attribute this to a prenatal biological mechanism – specifically a maternal immune response to male fetuses – since the effect is only present in men with older biological brothers, and not present among men with older step-brothers and adoptive brothers. This process, known as
10856-766: The profession and the public about treatments that purport to change sexual orientation. These include the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, American Counseling Association, National Association of Social Workers in the US, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the Australian Psychological Society. In 2009, the American Psychological Association Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation conducted
10974-417: The rainbow pride flag for the 1978 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day celebration. The flag was designed as a "symbol of hope" and liberation, and an alternative to the symbolism of the pink triangle . The flag does not depict an actual rainbow. Rather, the colors of the rainbow are displayed as horizontal stripes, with red at the top and violet at the bottom. It represents the diversity of gays and lesbians around
11092-685: The reference to sex or gender, but instead advocate incorporating more complex nonbinary concepts of sex or gender, more complex relationships between sex, gender, and sexuality, and/or additional nongendered dimensions into models of sexuality. Gay and lesbian people can have sexual relationships with someone of the opposite sex for a variety of reasons, including the desire for a perceived traditional family and concerns of discrimination and religious ostracism . While some LGBTQ people hide their respective orientations from their spouses, others develop positive gay and lesbian identities while maintaining successful heterosexual marriages . Coming out of
11210-553: The right to be who and how we want to be". No single design for a lesbian -pride flag has been widely adopted. However, many popular ones exist. 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. The design involves a labrys, a type of double-headed axe, superimposed on
11328-480: The same sex only (gay and lesbian), the blue represents sexual attraction to the opposite sex only (straight) and the resultant overlap color purple represents sexual attraction to both sexes (bi)." He also described the flag's meaning in deeper terms, stating "The key to understanding the symbolism in the Bi Pride Flag is to know that the purple pixels of color blend unnoticeably into both the pink and blue, just as in
11446-579: The subject's own sex. For example, it was thought that a typical female-bodied person who is attracted to female-bodied persons would have masculine attributes, and vice versa. This understanding was shared by most of the significant theorists of sexual orientation from the mid nineteenth to early twentieth century, such as Karl Heinrich Ulrichs , Richard von Krafft-Ebing , Magnus Hirschfeld , Havelock Ellis , Carl Jung , and Sigmund Freud , as well as many gender-variant homosexual people themselves. However, this understanding of homosexuality as sexual inversion
11564-435: The suggestion that early childhood experiences, parenting, sexual abuse, or other adverse life events influence sexual orientation. Hypotheses for the impact of the post-natal social environment on sexual orientation are weak, especially for males. Parental attitudes may affect whether or not children openly identify with their sexual orientation. Though it has since been found to be based on prejudice and misinformation, it
11682-466: The task force concluded that the population that undergoes SOCE tends to have strongly conservative religious views that lead them to seek to change their sexual orientation. Thus, the appropriate application of affirmative therapeutic interventions for those who seek SOCE involves therapist acceptance, support, and understanding of clients and the facilitation of clients' active coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, without imposing
11800-522: The third and so on. Scientists have estimated between 15% and 29% of gay men may owe their sexual orientation to this effect, but the number may be higher, as prior miscarriages and terminations of male pregnancies may have exposed their mothers to Y-linked antigens. The fraternal birth order effect would not likely apply to first born gay sons; instead, scientists say they may owe their orientation to genes, prenatal hormones and other maternal immune responses which also influence brain development. This effect
11918-582: The triangle or lambda. In 2018, designer Daniel Quasar created a modified version of the rainbow pride flag, incorporating elements of other flags to bring focus on inclusion and progress. This flag is known as the Progress Pride Flag. In 2021, Valentino Vecchietti of Intersex Equality Rights UK redesigned the Progress Pride Flag to incorporate the intersex flag . The aromantic pride flag consists of five horizontal stripes, which are (from top to bottom) green, light green, white, gray, and black. The flag
12036-449: The visibility of bisexual people in the LGBTQ community and society as a whole. Page chose a combination of Pantone Matching System (PMS) colors magenta (pink), lavender (purple), and royal (blue). The finished rectangular flag consists of a broad pink stripe at the top, a broad stripe in blue at the bottom, and a narrow purple stripe in the center. Page described the meaning of the colors as, "The pink color represents sexual attraction to
12154-446: The world. In the original eight-color version, pink stood for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit. A copy of the original 20-by-30 foot, eight-color flag was made by Baker in 2000 and was installed in the Castro district in San Francisco. Many variations on the rainbow flag exist, including ones incorporating other LGBTQ symbols like
12272-956: The world. Many cultures use identity labels to describe people who express these attractions. In the United States, the most frequent labels are lesbians (women attracted to women), gay men (men attracted to men), and bisexuals (people attracted to both sexes). However, some people may use different labels or none at all". They additionally state that sexual orientation "is distinct from other components of sex and gender, including biological sex (the anatomical, physiological, and genetic characteristics associated with being male or female), gender identity (the psychological sense of being male or female), and social gender role (the cultural norms that define feminine and masculine behavior)". Sexual identity and sexual behavior are closely related to sexual orientation, but they are distinguished, with sexual identity referring to an individual's conception of themselves, behavior referring to actual sexual acts performed by
12390-531: Was lavender because that is a mix of pink and blue, making it a symbolic merger of the feminine and masculine. (Lavender had already been used to represent LGBTQ people in other contexts ). However, in May 1974, Metro Transit Advertising said its lawyers could not "determine eligibility of the public service rate" for the lavender rhinoceros ads, which tripled the cost of the ad campaign. Gay Media Action challenged this but were unsuccessful. The lavender rhinoceros symbol
12508-575: Was created by Cameron Whimsy in 2014. The green and light green stripes represent aromanticism and the aro-spectrum. The white stripe represents the importance and validity of non-romantic forms of love, which include friendship , platonic and aesthetic attraction, queerplatonic relationships , and family. The black and gray stripes represent the sexuality spectrum, which ranges from aro-aces (aromantic asexuals) to aromantic allosexuals . The asexual pride flag consists of four horizontal stripes: black, gray, white, and purple from top to bottom. The flag
12626-458: Was created by an Asexual Visibility and Education Network user standup in August 2010, as part of a community effort to create and choose a flag. The black stripe represents asexuality; the gray stripe represents gray-asexuals and demisexuals ; the white stripe represents allies ; and the purple stripe represents community. Introduced on December 5, 1998, the bisexual pride flag was designed by activist Michael Page to represent and increase
12744-538: Was disputed at the time, and, through the second half of the twentieth century, gender identity came to be increasingly seen as a phenomenon distinct from sexual orientation. Transgender and cisgender people may be attracted to men, women, or both, although the prevalence of different sexual orientations is quite different in these two populations. An individual homosexual, heterosexual, or bisexual person may be masculine, feminine, or androgynous . Nevertheless, an analysis by J. Michael Bailey and Kenneth Zucker found
12862-416: Was explained by both genes and environmental factors. However, experimental design of the available twin studies has made their interpretation difficult. In 2012, a large, comprehensive genome-wide linkage study of male sexual orientation was conducted by several independent groups of researchers. Significant linkage to homosexuality was found with genes on chromosome Xq28 and chromosome 8 in
12980-517: Was first publicly displayed at a pride parade in Phoenix, Arizona, US, in 2000. It was flown from a large public flagpole in San Francisco's Castro District beginning November 19, 2012, in commemoration of the Transgender Day of Remembrance . The flag represents the transgender community and consists of five horizontal stripes: two light blue, two pink, with a white stripe in the center. Helms described
13098-450: Was introduced in October 2010 in a Tumblr blog ("Pansexual Pride Flag"). It has three horizontal bars that are pink, yellow and blue. "The pink represents being attracted to women, the blue being attracted to men, and the yellow for being attracted to everyone else"; such as non-binary gender identities . The transgender pride flag was designed by transgender woman Monica Helms in 1999. It
13216-490: Was later reclaimed by gay men, as well as some lesbians, in various political movements as a symbol of personal pride and remembrance. AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power ( ACT-UP ) adopted the downward-pointing pink triangle to symbolize the "active fight back" against HIV / AIDS "rather than a passive resignation to fate." The pink triangle was used exclusively with male prisoners, including transfeminine individuals, as cisgender lesbians were not included under Paragraph 175 ,
13334-658: Was officially declared the international symbol for gay and lesbian rights by the International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland . The gay rights organization Lambda Legal and the American Lambda Literary Foundation derive their names from this symbol. In 19th century in England , green indicated homosexual affiliations, as popularized by gay author Oscar Wilde , who often wore
13452-402: Was once thought that homosexuality was the result of faulty psychological development, resulting from childhood experiences and troubled relationships, including childhood sexual abuse. Such hypotheses "have been associated with highly charged political, moral and theological grounds for wanting to believe that it can". The American Academy of Pediatrics in 2004 stated: The mechanisms for
13570-518: Was once thought to be the result of troubled family dynamics or faulty psychological development. Those assumptions are now understood to have been based on misinformation and prejudice. A legal brief dated September 26, 2007, and presented on behalf of the American Psychological Association, California Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, National Association of Social Workers, and National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter, stated: Although much research has examined
13688-473: Was responsible for the first rose to sprout on Earth, followed by every flower and herb. Roses are a symbol of pederasty in ancient Greece : handsome boys were metaphorically called roses by their male admirers in homoerotic poems such as those by Solon , Straton , Meleager , Rhianus , and Philostratos . Animals that lovers gave as gifts to their beloved also became symbols of pederastic love, such as hares , roosters , deer , felines and oxen , as
13806-557: Was seen on signs, pins, and t-shirts at the Boston Pride Parade later in 1974, and a life-sized papier-mâché lavender rhinoceros was part of the parade. Money was raised for the ads, and they began running on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 's Green Line by December 3, 1974, and ran there until February 1975. The lavender rhinoceros continued as a symbol of the gay community, appearing at
13924-423: Was soon derived from the 2018 colors. The non-binary pride flag was created in 2014 by Kye Rowan. Each stripe color represents different types of non-binary identities: yellow for people who identify outside of the gender binary , white for non-binary people with multiple genders, purple for those with a mixture of both male and female genders, and black for agender individuals. The pansexual pride flag
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