LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Shout Out Loud, We're Proud, Proud, Proud! |
Websters defines symbolism as: The art or practice of using symbols especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations: as a) artistic imitation or invention that is a method of revealing or suggesting immaterial, ideal, or otherwise intangible truth or states b) the use of conventional or traditional signs in the representation of divine beings and spirits.
We think that "b" above sets just the right tone for our gay and lesbian jihad. Are there any among us who wouldnt self-identify with "divine beings and spirits?" The signs that we have chosen to represent us as a group are almost as diverse as we are. To get an idea of how diverse, just look at some of the windows and bumpers of the cars that line Rehoboths streets and North Shore parking lots, or, wander into Lambda Rising to see the complete collection under one roof. Hardly a day passes that someone doesnt come into Lambda, holds up a sticker and asks "what does this mean?" Here, then, is a brief look at some of the more prominent of our "sensuous representations" and what they mean. Undoubtedly, the most easily recognized symbol of our gay and lesbian pride is the rainbow flag in all its glory and permutations. The rainbow has been around since earth began and has been appropriated by many groups and cultures to show diversity and unity. Remember Jesse Jacksons political Rainbow Coalition? The rainbow flag first showed up in the late 1970s in the Gay Mecca of San Francisco during that citys Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade. San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag to answer a need for a symbol that could be used by the community year after year. Bakers first flags had eight, rather than the present six, stripes. Each color was to represent an important component of the community: hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony and violet for spirit. When Baker asked a flag company to mass-produce flags for the parade he was told that due to production constraintshot pink was not a commercially available colorpink and turquoise were removed from the design, and royal blue replaced indigo. Thats how the current version evolved and spread across the country as a widely-known and easily recognizable symbol of gay pride and diversity. The International Congress of Flag Makers gives the flag its official recognition. The pink triangle is another symbol that is widely- recognized. Dr. Frank N. Furter, that sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania, sported one in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The triangles beginnings are far from humorous. Its origin goes back to World War II and the persecutions of the Third Reich. Adolf Hitler revised Paragraph 175 in German law (which prohibited homosexual relations) to include kissing, embracing and gay fantasies as well as sexual acts. Hitlers regime convicted an estimated 25,000 just from 1937 to 1939 alone, sent them to prison and later to the infamous concentration camps. In the camps (and outside of them as well) many were forced to wear emblems that designated their "crimes." The inverted pink triangle marked its wearers as homosexuals. Unsurprisingly those prisoners were often viewed as the lowest of the low. Many were sterilized by castration. In 1942 Hitler extended that punishment to include death. When the war ended most of those in concentration camps were liberated, but because Paragraph 175 remained in place in German law the Allied Forces considered those wearing the pink triangle criminals, and countless remained prisoners in the camps. Paragraph 175 was repealed in West Germany in 1969. Today the pink triangle should remind us of the oppression and persecution of homosexuals through time, embodied in the actions of Hitlers regime. Less well known is the black triangle. Similar to the pink triangle, the black triangle originated in Nazi Germany. Lesbian invisibility was in full flower and the denial that such a thing existed excluded lesbians from persecution under Paragraph 175. The Nazi ideal of womanhood focused on children, kitchen, and church (much as the right wing politicians of this country still insist on). Not knowing what to do with lesbians, prostitutes and women who refused to bear children, the black triangle was invented to designate "anti-social" traits and thus provide the reason to imprison those women who didnt measure up to the Aryan ideal. The meaning of the Lambda symbol is somewhat cloudy and disputed. There are varying opinions as to why the lambda was chosen as a gay symbol and what it really means. What is certain is the lambda was adopted in 1970 by the New York Gay Activists Alliance as a symbol of their growing movement of gay liberation. Subsequently, the International Gay Rights Congress held in Edinburgh , Scotland officially made the lambda their symbol for lesbian and gay rights and launched it into international popularity. But why the lambda? Theories abound. Some say it is the lower case Greek letter "L" for liberation. Others contend the lambda is used in physics to denote energy or wavelength, perhaps placing gays and lesbians on a different wavelength. It also may denote the synergy of the gay movement, suggesting that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If that doesnt satisfy you, how about viewing the lambda as a representation of the scales and balance, and the idea that a constant force will keep opposing sides from overcoming each other. Whew. Whatever your choice, the fact remains that the lambda is associated with gay liberation, though some choose to view it as a male symbol only. Being the dynamic force that they are, lesbians are not content to sit idly by while others define symbols for them. Thus the symbol that is defined as strictly female, the labrys. The labrys is a double-sided hatchet or axe which was commonly used in many ancient matriarchical societies as both a weapon and a harvesting tool. Greek artwork depicts the amazon armies of Europe wielding labrys weapons. Amazons were known to be ferocious and merciless in battle, but once victorious they ruled with justice. Also, Demeter, the mythological goddess of earth, reportedly used a labrys as her scepter. Some of the rites associated with the worship of Demeter are believed (and perhaps hoped!) to have involved lesbian sex. Today the labrys is a lesbian and feminist symbol of strength and self-sufficiency. The next time you hear the term "battleaxe" you might want to reconsider its meaning. These are among the most prominent symbols of the gay and lesbian movement. Whichever you choose, remember there is a history behind it. Regardless of origin, they all translate to PRIDE and LIBERATION. Be proud and enjoy our new-found freedom. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 8, No. 8, July 3, 1998. |