18 Popular Lesbian Symbols & What They Represent

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Lesbian symbols you can wear—from subtle to loud and proud
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You might be surprised by just how many lesbian symbols there really are! Many of the most notable lesbian symbols are deeply rooted in history, from the writings of the ancient poet Sappho to the lesbian community’s fight for recognition and inclusion in the 1900s. Beyond that, other lesbian symbols are tongue-in-cheek inside jokes that members of the lesbian community (and sapphic community at large) can appreciate. In this article, we’ll walk you through the different lesbian symbols, from the easily recognizable to the most obscure!

Top Examples of Lesbian Symbols

  • Interlocking Double Venus
  • Black Triangle
  • Violet Flowers
  • Lavender
  • Labrys (Double-Headed Axe)
  • Nautical Star
1

Interlocking Double Venus

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  1. The interlocking double Venus (⚢) is essentially shorthand for same-sex female couples and love between women! The original Venus (♀) symbol consists of a circle attached to a small cross below; in Roman mythology, Venus is the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, and her symbol represents femininity. Thus, the lesbian symbol consists of two interlocked Venus symbols and represents unity between two women. [1]
    • The ⚢ (interlocking double Venus) symbol is commonly used in lesbian culture, often appearing on flags, jewelry, and other items.
    • Similarly, the symbol for gay men is ⚣, which consists of two interlocking male symbols.
    • The male and female symbols were combined to create this symbol: ⚦. It represents androgynous and transgender people.
    • Another transgender and gender-inclusivity symbol is ⚧, which combines the traditional male and female symbols.
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2

Black Triangle

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  1. The black triangle is a symbol with incredibly dark origins. In World War II, Nazi Germany forced people suspected of being lesbians (or who were deemed “asocial,” including sex workers and people with disabilities) to wear downward-pointing black triangles on their clothing in concentration camps. Later, in the 1970s, LGBTQ+ activists sought to reclaim the black triangle, transforming it into a symbol of resistance and strength. [2]
    • By using the black triangle as a symbol, lesbians of the LGBTQ+ community celebrate the strength of those who were once persecuted, while showing their own tenacity and refusal to be silenced.
    • Gay men were forced to wear a pink triangle on their clothing—and just like the black triangle, the pink triangle has been reclaimed as a symbol of gay pride and resilience.
3

Violet Flowers

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  1. Violet flowers as a lesbian symbol originated with Sappho, an ancient Greek poet from the island of Lesbos known for her love poetry. Just as violets are a symbol for love between women in Sappho’s poetry, Sappho herself has also become a symbol of sapphic desire and love. This was further solidified by Edouard Bourdet’s 1926 play The Captive , in which a woman is gifted violets by her female lover. [3]
    • A violet flower pinned to one’s label or tucked into one’s hat is symbolic of being a lesbian (or sapphic).
    • “Sapphic” is another term relating to attraction and love between women. “Sapphism” is also an umbrella term for any woman attracted to women (or in a relationship with them).
    • Thus, sapphism as a whole is inclusive of not just lesbians, but bisexual, pansexual, queer, asexual, aromantic, and omnisexual individuals!
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4

Lavender (Color and Word)

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  1. The U.S. government had a “Lavender Scare” in the 1950s, deeming gay men and women “security risks” and firing them from federal jobs. Additionally, author Betty Friedan referred to lesbians in the feminist movement of the ’60s as a “lavender menace,” worrying they’d damage the women’s equality movement—but lesbian feminists answered this by reclaiming the name and calling themselves the “Lavender Menace.” [4]
    • Lesbian feminists wearing lavender shirts even stormed the Second Congress to Unite Women.
    • This led to the National Organization for Women’s decision to support and include lesbians in their fight for women’s equality.
5

Lesbian Flag Colors

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  1. The lesbian flag—sometimes called the “sunset flag”—contains hues of pink, orange, and white, with each stripe carrying its own special meaning. While there are many versions of the lesbian flag, the most commonly used one was updated in 2018 by Tumblr blogger Emily Gwen, featuring seven horizontal stripes. This flag’s stripes symbolize the following: [5]
    • Dark orange - Gender non-conformity
    • Orange - Independence
    • Light orange - Community
    • White - Diverse and unique connections to womanhood
    • Pink - Serenity and peace
    • Dusty pink - Love and sex
    • Dark rose - Femininity
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6

Labrys (Double-Headed Axe)

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  1. The labrys has some fascinating ancient connections! It was considered sacred in ancient Minoan Crete, associated with goddess worship; it’s also connected to Amazonian warrior women by some myths. Thus, in the 1970s, lesbian feminists began using the labrys as a symbol of resistance and power in their fight for equality. In 1999, Sean Campbell even designed a labrys lesbian flag. [6]
    • The labrys lesbian flag features a white labrys over an inverted black triangle, with a violet background.
    • Some consider the labrys lesbian flag to be the oldest lesbian flag (although it was never as popular as the current striped lesbian flag).
    • While the labrys itself isn’t an inherently transphobic symbol, it has been used by transphobic lesbians in the past (leading trans-inclusive lesbians to reject it).
7

Nautical Star

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  1. The nautical star is a five-pointed star with alternating light and dark shades, traditionally associated with maritime navigation. It became a lesbian symbol in the 1950s, when lesbians in Buffalo, New York, began to wear it as a tattoo on their wrists. This placement was a deliberate choice—a small star tattoo on the wrist could be easily hidden, allowing lesbians to be discreet when needed. [7]
    • Nowadays, the nautical star remains a prominent saphhic symbol; it’s featured not only in tattoos, but on jewelry and other accessories.
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8

Scissors

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  1. This modern lesbian symbol is more than a little tongue-in-cheek! It’s a reference to cis lesbian intimacy (specifically an intimate act called “scissoring”). “Scissoring” itself is a slang term to describe tribadism, which originates from the Greek word “tribas,” meaning “to rub.” Intimate acts like tribadism were once fetishized; thus, to the lesbian community, scissors are also a symbol of reclamation and celebration of queer intimacy. [8]
    • There’s also the scissors emoji (✂️), which is sometimes used as a cheeky lesbian symbol online.
9

Snakes

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  1. Snakes are a relatively recent lesbian symbol, popular among Gen Z as of the 2020s! Snakes have been associated with “dark femininity,” defiance, rebellion, and transformation for a long time, all of which likely made them appealing to the sapphic community. Ancient Greek mythology also recognizes snakes as symbols of renewal (especially with the ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail). [9]
    • In Christianity, snakes are associated with subversion and sin, contributing to their overall rebellious image.
    • Furthermore, their ability to shed skin is what makes snakes so symbolic of transformation (and, by extension, relatable to the queer experience).
    • Thus, lesbians may wear snake-themed clothing and accessories or sport snake tattoos to indicate their queer identity.
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10

Carabiner Keychains

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  1. In the days of World War II, numerous women opted to buck tradition and enter the workforce, using carabiners as a tool at their industrial and factory jobs. Over time, the carabiner became a symbol of their strength and capability in spaces traditionally reserved for men! Then, in the feminist movement of the ’70s, the carabiner saw a resurgence; women (particularly lesbians) began using them in a bid for practicality over more “ladylike” accessories. [10]
    • By 2024, the carabiner once again had a major comeback as a lesbian symbol. It’s especially well-loved by masc and chapstick lesbians !
    • Carabiners are also a sort of joke about women’s fashion, since many clothing items are designed with no pockets, making carabiners an alternative for carrying keys or other items.
11

U-Haul

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  1. This is a much more modern symbol related to the “U-Haul lesbian” stereotype (which describes lesbians who tend to form deep romantic connections very fast compared to traditional dating). The U-Haul stereotype was primarily inspired by a joke from lesbian comedian Lea DeLaria—and now, if you see an image of a U-Haul truck in a queer meme or on Pride merchandise, it’s done in honor of U-Haul lesbians!
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12

Lambda

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  1. The lambda isn’t just for lesbians—but it’s still worth mentioning for its associations with gay liberation! The lambda is a lower-case Greek letter (λ), and in 1970, it was selected as the symbol of the New York Gay Activists Alliance by Tom Doerr. Then, in 1974, the International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, declared the lambda an international symbol for gay and lesbian rights. [11]
    • Doerr reportedly chose the lambda as a symbol for its meaning in chemistry and physics, where it represents the wavelength.
    • Gay rights organizations such as Lambda Legal and the American Lambda Literary Foundation also have names based on the lambda symbol.
13

White Lilies

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  1. In the Romantic era of Japanese literature (which took place in the 1800s), white lilies were a symbol of beauty and purity in women. Thus, they also became symbols of the yuri genre, which actually means “lily” in Japanese. Yuri is a genre of media that focuses on intimacy and love between women; thus, white lilies can be seen as a symbol of not only lesbian relationships, but also sapphic connections in general. [12]
    • In 1976, Ito Bungaku (the editor of Barazoku, a gay men’s magazine) coined the term “Yurizoku,” meaning “lily tribe,” as a name for his female readers.
    • “Lily” is also the term for media about female-female relationships in China and Korea.
    • However, each uses the translation of “lily” in their respective languages (“baekhap” in Korea and “bǎihé” in China).
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14

Lesbian (Queer) Manicure

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  1. The “lesbian manicure” is a trend of manicure featuring long nail extensions on every finger aside from the index finger, middle finger, and sometimes thumb of the dominant hand. This is done to prevent any injury or discomfort during intimacy while still allowing the use of fashionable acrylic nails—and because the style is so recognizable, it’s also a symbol of one’s lesbian or queer identity.
    • The lesbian manicure is especially popular among femme lesbians (meaning their gender expression is more feminine than butch).
15

Pinky Rings

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  1. Pinky rings (essentially just rings worn on one’s pinky, rather than another finger) actually became a lesbian and queer symbol back in the 1940s through the 1960s. Lesbians and queer people wore them to signal their sexuality in a subtle manner—and many public figures, both in the past and modern-day, have done the same!
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16

White Knot

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  1. The white knot isn’t an exclusively lesbian symbol, but it is a sign of support for same-sex marriage in the U.S. It was first established by Frank Voci in 2008 (in response to California’s passage of Proposition 8 and other bans on same-sex marriage across the country). The white knot is a symbol of “tying the knot” (referring to marriage), and the color white is also traditionally associated with weddings. [13]
17

Cats

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  1. Cats are a more unofficial, joking lesbian symbol related to pop culture cliches. Lesbians have been compared to cats and associated with owning them. After all, cats are known for being aloof, independent, and self-sufficient, and lesbians have a reputation for being rebellious and independent themselves. It’s a match made in heaven!
    • In all seriousness, owning a cat doesn’t really say anything about one’s sexuality or gender identity—but some in the LGBTQ+ community enjoy referring to cats as a lesbian symbol.
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18

Toasters

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  1. There’s a joke that any lesbian who gets a straight-presenting woman to “turn” into a lesbian will get a toaster oven, or toaster, as a reward (poking fun at the idea that a lesbian would want to make straight women gay). The joke originates from the 1990s sitcom Ellen , starring Ellen DeGeneres—and although it’s just a joke, the toaster remains a playful lesbian symbol over 20 years later. [14]

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      References

      1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051230095156/http://www.lambda.org/symbols.htm
      2. ↑ https://remember.org/educate/elman
      3. ↑ https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/25/us/flowers-lgbtq-lavender-meaning-cec/index.html
      4. ↑ https://www.nyclgbtsites.org/site/lavender-menace-action-at-second-congress-to-unite-women/
      5. ↑ https://www.sfgmc.org/blog/pride-flags#block-yui_3_17_2_1_1683145657332_171332
      6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150909150736/https://www.afterellen.com/people/452039-dont-lesbians-pride-flag
      7. ↑ https://www.pride.com/culture/lesbian-star-tattoo-explained
      8. ↑ https://whatemoji.org/blog/dirty-emojis/
      9. ↑ https://diva-magazine.com/2023/08/24/heres-five-of-the-most-sapphic-tattoos-you-can-get/
      1. ↑ https://www.pride.com/lesbian/lesbian-carabiners-explained
      2. ↑ https://archive.org/details/moremanthanyoull00good
      3. ↑ https://www.yuricon.com/what-is-yuricon/#whatisyuri
      4. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130811192814/http://www.whiteknot.org/about.html
      5. ↑ https://annemariezanzal.com/whats-up-with-the-toaster-oven-by-tonda-mckay/

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