COM-263
Portrayals of LGBTQ
During these uncertain times it has become clear that the micro-cultures are helping to
build a better world. Micro-cultures are often pushed aside as they are smaller communities or
misrepresented, especially in media. Every culture has some sort of symbol to represent them,
they can represent values, religious aspects, skin color, language, and different traditions. Within
every culture there is the micro-cultureLGBTQ, each letter represents a nano-culture; Lesbian,
Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, and Questioning. As experimenting with one’s sexuality becomes
more socially acceptable the aspects of the culture grow, the symbols change, stereotypes are
made, and media representation evolves.
In history symbols have become a way to give way to names, correlate meaning between
similar things, and to recognize different religions. In the present a symbol is used to show
someone’s heritage with pride. Historically flags were created as a way to mark one’s ship and
eventually progressed inland to mark properties; from homes to countries. When language began
people assigned things different names and they were different for every culture. Different terms
became known worldwide to denote different things and over time there became some
generalized terms that even different countries shared.
In June 1978 the first LGBTQ pride flag was flown at the San Francisco Pride. At the
behest of Harvey Milk, Gilbert Baker designed the flag because a flag was the best influential
symbol of Pride (Gonzalez, ND). Baker and Milk’s idea was that our main goal should be to
, influence young adults in coming out and to know they can be safe to do so; also to influence the
older generation to understand and to keep an open mind to the idea that it comes down to love
and not damnation. The original pride flag was designed after the rainbow “coming out” from
behind the clouds of a storm, representation for coming out as being gay and the struggle
everyone goes through internally. Each color has its own meaning; Violet for spirit, Indigo for
harmony, Turquoise for art, Green for nature, Yellow for sunlight, Orange for healing, Red for
life, and Hot Pink for sex (Gonzalez, ND). At current time there are so many different flags for
all the different people represented by the acronym LGBTQ. Standard rainbow, rebooted pride
flag, trans pride, intersex, bisexual, pansexual, nonbinary, asexual, genderfluid, agender,
genderqueer, and lesbian just to name a few of the most prevalent. Within each flag their colors
all represent different aspects of the sexuality (Alatalo, 2017).
LGBTQ symbols are not only limited to flags. The LGBTQ community has also adopted
various symbols and some terminology of their own. Pride is typically celebrated in the month of
June to remember Stonewall Bar in New York City when the gay community refused to leave a
bar and began rioting in June of 1969 (“Using citations”, ND). In Nazi Germany an upside-down
pink triangle with black background was used to show who belonged in the gay concentration
camps and today that symbol is used to represent the oppression that will not be stood for any
further. The labry’s, the lambda, freedom rings, double women symbol, double male symbol,
pansexuality, and trans symbols are also use in the LGBTQ Pride movement (“using citations”,
ND). There are many terms that the LGBTQ community uses for things describing different
ways to represent the cultures that LGBTQ stands for. With the positive terms used by the
movement there are also those that are very negative and used in multiple derogatory ways
(Bloomington Pride, ND).
Portrayals of LGBTQ
During these uncertain times it has become clear that the micro-cultures are helping to
build a better world. Micro-cultures are often pushed aside as they are smaller communities or
misrepresented, especially in media. Every culture has some sort of symbol to represent them,
they can represent values, religious aspects, skin color, language, and different traditions. Within
every culture there is the micro-cultureLGBTQ, each letter represents a nano-culture; Lesbian,
Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, and Questioning. As experimenting with one’s sexuality becomes
more socially acceptable the aspects of the culture grow, the symbols change, stereotypes are
made, and media representation evolves.
In history symbols have become a way to give way to names, correlate meaning between
similar things, and to recognize different religions. In the present a symbol is used to show
someone’s heritage with pride. Historically flags were created as a way to mark one’s ship and
eventually progressed inland to mark properties; from homes to countries. When language began
people assigned things different names and they were different for every culture. Different terms
became known worldwide to denote different things and over time there became some
generalized terms that even different countries shared.
In June 1978 the first LGBTQ pride flag was flown at the San Francisco Pride. At the
behest of Harvey Milk, Gilbert Baker designed the flag because a flag was the best influential
symbol of Pride (Gonzalez, ND). Baker and Milk’s idea was that our main goal should be to
, influence young adults in coming out and to know they can be safe to do so; also to influence the
older generation to understand and to keep an open mind to the idea that it comes down to love
and not damnation. The original pride flag was designed after the rainbow “coming out” from
behind the clouds of a storm, representation for coming out as being gay and the struggle
everyone goes through internally. Each color has its own meaning; Violet for spirit, Indigo for
harmony, Turquoise for art, Green for nature, Yellow for sunlight, Orange for healing, Red for
life, and Hot Pink for sex (Gonzalez, ND). At current time there are so many different flags for
all the different people represented by the acronym LGBTQ. Standard rainbow, rebooted pride
flag, trans pride, intersex, bisexual, pansexual, nonbinary, asexual, genderfluid, agender,
genderqueer, and lesbian just to name a few of the most prevalent. Within each flag their colors
all represent different aspects of the sexuality (Alatalo, 2017).
LGBTQ symbols are not only limited to flags. The LGBTQ community has also adopted
various symbols and some terminology of their own. Pride is typically celebrated in the month of
June to remember Stonewall Bar in New York City when the gay community refused to leave a
bar and began rioting in June of 1969 (“Using citations”, ND). In Nazi Germany an upside-down
pink triangle with black background was used to show who belonged in the gay concentration
camps and today that symbol is used to represent the oppression that will not be stood for any
further. The labry’s, the lambda, freedom rings, double women symbol, double male symbol,
pansexuality, and trans symbols are also use in the LGBTQ Pride movement (“using citations”,
ND). There are many terms that the LGBTQ community uses for things describing different
ways to represent the cultures that LGBTQ stands for. With the positive terms used by the
movement there are also those that are very negative and used in multiple derogatory ways
(Bloomington Pride, ND).
