"flag war": LGBT vs straight people. These activists ingeniously dressed up in T-shirts in such a way as to create an "inconspicuous rainbow flag" on the streets of Russia. Symbols of homosexuality.

The idea of ​​this post visited me a long time ago, but my hands have reached only now. To be honest, I was surprised that no one created a similar post. Okay, I won't pull. And the first flag we'll look at is:

rainbow flag

This flag is well known among YaA participants, and in general in the world, although not loved by many...

The rainbow flag (Pride flag - the flag of freedom) was designed by Gilbert Baker specifically for the gay pride in San Francisco in 1978. He described it this way:

The original idea of ​​the rainbow flag is liberation. The ability to break free, going beyond the limits created by fear and the desire to "comply with the norms", the right to declare one's sexuality without shame and fear of retribution from those who dictate "ethical laws".

The rainbow flag is alive because it represents all of us in all our diversity and beauty… Each flag symbolizes an idea. The rainbow flag stands for common sense and brave action.

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We conclude:

The flag is meant to represent the unity in diversity, beauty and joy of the LGBT community.

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The next character we'll look at is:

pink triangle

The oldest and one of the most recognizable symbols of the LGBT community. It owes its origin to Nazi Germany, where homosexuals were among the victims of the Holocaust. According to various estimates, in the Third Reich, according to paragraph 175, from 50 to 100 thousand homosexual men were sent to prison, and from 5 to 15 thousand people were deported to concentration camps (death camps). In concentration camps, such prisoners wore a patch in the form of a pink triangle.

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We conclude:

The pink triangle was created in order to humiliate members of sexual minorities.

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Bisexual flag

For those in the bunker:

Bisexuality is a person's sexual attraction to both men and women.

The first bisexual pride flag was designed by Michael Pugh and first appeared on the 1st anniversary of BiCafe on December 5, 1998.

This is a rectangular flag of three horizontal stripes: a wide purple (lilac) stripe in the upper part, representing the field of attraction for homosexuals; a wide band of blue below representing the opposite field of attraction (heterosexuals), and a lavender colored band (purple) occupying the central part as a fusion of the two areas, which symbolizes attraction to both of the sexes (bisexuals).

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We conclude:

The flag carries a deep sense of pride for people with this unusual sexual orientation.

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black triangle

Unlike gay men, who constituted a separate group in concentration camps and wore a "pink triangle", lesbians were not included in paragraph 175 of the criminal code. However, women were arrested for "anti-social behavior", which included feminism, lesbianism, prostitution. Such women were marked with a "black triangle". Today, the black triangle is used by lesbians as one of the symbols of the LGBT movement.

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United Russia deputies proposed a variant of the symbolism of straight people. They became the flag, which depicts a married couple with three children. And it looks suspiciously like the flag of the French movement La Manif pour tous.

The idea of ​​the rainbow flag originated long before it was popularized by the LGBT movement. The biblical story about the appearance of a rainbow after the Flood is reflected in the religious symbolism of both Judaism and Christianity.

The rainbow symbolized the conclusion of the union between God and humanity. An echo of this tradition can be found on the flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region, approved in 1996:

Flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region

With the development of movements against discrimination in the 20th century, rainbow paraphernalia has become one symbol of the struggle for the diversity of the world, against the subordination of people to uniform standards and cultural assimilation.

The seven-colored flag has been used by the international cooperative movement since 1925 as a symbol of harmony and cooperation.

The rainbow flag was associated with the peace movement in the 60s. The colors were in reverse order.

The ornament of rainbow colors from the time of the Inca Empire to the present day is used as a symbol of the Indian peoples:

As a flag of sexual minorities (gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders), the American artist Gilbert Baker proposed an eight-color canvas, where each color symbolized the following: hot pink - sexuality, red - life, orange - healing, yellow - sunlight, green - nature, turquoise - magic and art, blue - peace and harmony, purple - spirit. Pink and turquoise were later decided to be removed.

Supporters of traditional love were not taken aback. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the idea of ​​the Straight Pride movement emerged. "Proper Pride"

However, the flag with the silhouettes of a male and female individual looked more like signs in public places and looked little like the flag of a social movement.

The heterosexual movement was looking for a bright alternative to the bright rainbow of opponents. But the flag was supposed to symbolize that uncertainty in relations is unacceptable. Black is black and white is white. So the idea was born:

Some activists still tried to return the rainbow:

Others have tried to befriend LGBT people by calling themselves their friends. So, back in 1973, Straight Ally arose, a movement to support the struggle of LGBT people for their rights by heterosexuals. Their symbolism appeared a little later:

The French fighters against same-sex marriage, La Manif pour tous (an organization founded in 2012), decided not to use a rainbow to visually ennoble the female and male Straight Pride figures and add children to them.

The deputies from the United Russia party decided that a healthy heterosexual nation can afford to have more than two children, therefore, without further ado, they slyly proposed such a flag.

And shared values. LGBT symbols play an important role in creating the visibility of a community that was previously marginalized and invisible. The most famous of these are the rainbow flag and the pink triangle.

There are various variations of this symbol. So, lesbians use a black triangle, because in the Nazi concentration camps they were marked asocial, to which the Nazis included homosexual women. Separately, similar bisexual and transgender symbols also exist: the first is an incomplete overlay of pink and blue triangles, and the other is a pink triangle with a transgender icon inscribed in it.

The rainbow flag was designed by Gilbert Baker for the 1978 San Francisco Gay Pride. San Francisco Gay Freedom Day). This year has become historic for the local LGBT community - for the first time in California, an openly gay Harvey Milk was elected to a political post (as a member of the city's supervisory board). Labrys The labrys, a double-bladed axe, was common in the Minoan civilization (sometimes portrayed as having matriarchal tendencies). In ancient Greek legends, Labryses were used by warrior Amazons known for their lesbian connections. Lambda In 1970, in New York City, the Greek letter lambda (λ) was chosen as the organization's symbol. Gay Activist Alliance, advocating the legalization of homosexual relations in the United States, and four years later the International Gay Congress in Edinburgh also chose the lambda as its symbol. In physics, lambda stands for the wavelength associated with energy, which is why it is used to show the power of the gay rights movement. In addition, the lambda shows "unity under oppression" and the names of some organizations are derived from this ( Lambda Legal) and a literary award ( Lambda Literary Award) Overlay gender symbols Superimposed gender symbols are often used by lesbians (in this case, two female symbols of Venus - ⚢ are combined with each other) and gays (in this case, two male symbols of Mars - ⚣ are combined). purple hand purple hand Gay Liberation Front(English) Gay Liberation Front, GLF listen)) is the name of several informal gay and lesbian rights organizations organized in the late 1960s and early 1970s that sought to link the suppression of sexuality with social protest. The purple hand was originally the symbol of these organizations. Transgender symbols The most popular and recognizable transgender symbol is a combination of female and male signs - a ring with an arrow pointing up, indicating the masculine, and a cross pointing down, indicating the feminine; sometimes a combined arrow and cross are also attached to this. Bear symbolism "Bears" - a subculture of homo- and bisexual adult men that has developed over the past 30 years, characterized by body hairiness (primarily chest, stomach and pubic hair), as well as the presence of a beard and mustache. According to some stereotypes, bears can also be older and more obese people. A bear's paw against a background of stripes is often used as a flag. Bisexual flag The first bisexual flag was designed by Michael Page ( Michael Page) and first appeared on the 1st anniversary of BiCafe on December 5, 1998. This is a rectangular flag of three horizontal stripes: a wide purple (lilac) stripe in the upper part, representing the field of attraction for homosexuals; a wide band of blue below representing the opposite field of attraction (heterosexuals), and a lavender colored band (purple) occupying the central part as a fusion of the two areas, which symbolizes attraction to both sexes (bisexuals). Other symbols Other, less common characters are also known. Often there are various combinations of the above characters or their paraphrases.

culture

Flags began to be used long before mankind began to record the ongoing historical events. They symbolized various movements, peoples and even individuals. Every state in the world has its own flag, some are very strange, some are beautiful, others are boring.

Below is a list of ten flags that are unique in their kind.

10. Dannebrog

Flags first appeared in China and India and later spread around the world. Because flags have been around for so long, it's impossible to tell which flag came first. However, it has been proven that the Dannebrog is the oldest flag in the world that is still in use today.

Going back far into the 13th century, presumably from June 15, 1219, the Dannebrog is the national flag of Denmark and serves as inspiration for the design of the flags of other Scandinavian countries. Prior to its official adoption, the flag was mainly used in the Viking region and featured triangular edges. Austria also claims to have the world's oldest-originating flag, although their flag appears to date from 1230.

9. Flags - semaphores

Language is not just speech and movement. Flags - semaphores - is a system for transmitting information at a distance using visual signals through hand flags, rods, disks, and sometimes just with bare or gloved hands. The information is encoded by the position of the flag, but is read when the flag is in a fixed position.

Semaphores have been adopted and widely used in the maritime world since the early 1800s (manual flags have been replaced by so-called "mechanical arms"). Semaphore signals, for example, were used at the Battle of Trafalgar. This was the period when the modern naval semaphore system was invented, which used hand flags. It is still used for emergency communications during the day, but as for the night, in this case, illuminated sticks are used instead of flags.

8. Flag of Nepal

The flag of Nepal is the only non-rectangular flag in the world. The flag is a simplified combination of two separate pennants. Its crimson color is the color of the rhododendron, the country's national flower. Red is also a sign of victory in war, blue framing is the color of peace. Until 1962, the emblems of the flag (sun and crescent) had human faces.

In order to modernize the flag, the faces were decided to be removed. The faces remained on the royal standard until the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. The flag was adopted with the formation of a new constitutional government on December 16, 1962. Separate pennants were used in the two previous centuries, while the double pennant began to be used from the 19th century.

7. White flag of truce

The white flag is the internationally recognized protective sign of a truce, or a ceasefire and a request for negotiations. It is also used to signal surrender, so often the weaker military side comes forward with this flag to ask for negotiations.

The white flag indicates that the approaching negotiator is unarmed, in his intentions either to surrender or to start a dialogue. Persons holding a white flag in their hands may not open fire and may not be shot at. The use of the flag is included in the Geneva Convention.

6. Under the black flag

The black flag, and the color black as such, has been associated with anarchy since the 1880s. The names of many anarchist collectives contain the word "black". There were a number of recurring anarchist organizations called "Black Flag".

The uniform blackness of the flag signifies the rejection of all repressive structures, in contrast to the colorful flags that characterize most nation states. In addition, if the white flag is a universal symbol of surrender to superior force, then the black flag is a symbol of defiance.

5. Transgender Flag

We are all familiar with the rainbow flag of the gay movement, however, the flag of transgender people is less known in public circles. It was created in 2000, when the first parade of this minority took place in the American city of Phoenix (Arizona).

The designer of the flag was very clear on why the flag is the way it is: "Blue is traditionally masculine, pink is feminine, and the white in the middle symbolizes those in between, who feel like they have gender neutrality. The bottom line is, no matter whatever path you choose, it will always be the right one. It speaks to our efforts to find justice in our own lives."

4. Flag Jolly Roger

The Jolly Roger is the name given to any flag to identify the crew of a pirate ship. Today, the most recognizable Jolly Roger is the human skull perched above two crossed tubular bones. The whole composition is depicted on a black background.

This flag design has been used by several pirates, including Captain Edward England and John Taylor. Some Jolly Roger flags featured an hourglass, which was a symbol of death in 17th and 18th century Europe. Despite their cultural prominence, plain black flags were often used by most pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries.

3. Flag of West Africa

This unusual flag is often (and erroneously) attributed to the Benin Empire. This is one of four flags currently in the Greenwich National Maritime Museum near London. There is some uncertainty as to the exact origin of the flag, whether it came directly from Benin or was used by neighboring peoples.

The name "Kennedy" written on the paper label and attached to the flag seems to indicate that it was brought back to Admiral F. Kennedy in 1897 after the expedition against Benin, which may indicate that the flag is of Benin origin. . However, the flag is very similar to three other West African flags kept in the museum, which did not originate in Benin, but among neighboring peoples.

2. Flag of Mars

The flag of Mars is a tricolor representing the planet. Although it has no legal force, the flag has been approved by the Martian community and the planetary community. The flag is intended to depict the "future history" of Mars.

The red stripe closest to the mast symbolizes Mars today. Green and blue talk about the stages of a possible terraforming of Mars, that someday humanity will be able to complete this task, however, the ethics of terraforming the planet is still a matter of debate.

1. Nazi flag

The Nazi flag is probably the most controversial flag in human history. It is even banned today in a number of countries. The flag was designed by Hitler himself, who believed that it was necessary to use the colors of Kaiser Germany, because in his opinion, "the use of these colors is our tribute and respect to the glorious past, which brought so much honor to the German nation."

"The most important requirement for a new flag is that it must prove its effectiveness, because there are hundreds of thousands of cases where a really worthwhile emblem can be the root cause of awakening interest in the movement."