Carabiner meaning gay

In her poetry, Sappho compared the colour of violets to the love she had for women. Androgyny has also been an important part of this history — gay men frequently wear outfits seen as more effeminate and lesbians may dress in more traditionally masculine clothes. Today, the flower has been widely adopted by the community. However, in the 1970s, a group of lesbian feminists reclaimed the symbol, incorporating the identity of a Lavender Menace to counter-act against women's rights activists who purposely excluded queer women from the movement.

Examining this history of queer culture and its impact is very much important.

However, certain coded items, such as septum piercings and maximalist jewelry, have been widely adopted by heterosexual people, blurring the lines and making these signifiers less exclusive to the LGBTQ+ community. 

Fashion trends started by queer people continue to gain mainstream traction, often shaping broader aesthetic movements. 

Queer culture has led numerous style trends, from bold makeup to androgynous fashion, which have been popularized by designers and influencers alike.

It's likely to have started as a trend in the mid-20th century, as a symbol for butch and masc-presenting women working blue collar jobs. While it may have started and is still an act to protect oneself from the ridicule of their identity, signalling has since evolved into an inherited part of each group's culture.

Unlike other lesbian symbols, such as lavenders or the labrys, carabiners are versatile, easily wearable, and discreet.

Lavender & Violet

Purple has been synonymous with queerness throughout history; however, the lavender and violet shades hold a special place for lesbians. In classic Hollywood, queer women were sometimes portrayed wearing traditionally masculine accessories, such as monocles, to imply their sexuality. 

A notable example of queer coding in history is Polari — a slang language used among gay men in mid-20th century Britain.

And she’s right! However, one important thing members of the community have in common is the need to subtly flag their queerness to each other. Lavender became a prominent symbol for the queer community, but more in line with the 'Lavender Scare' movement in the post-cold war era. Filmmakers found creative ways to signal queerness, using costume, behavior and personality traits.

Gay men also often flag with the carabiner, as well as wearing bracelets, jewelry (such as a ear piercings), and dressing in non-traditionally masculine ways. Besides Chappell Roan and Azealia Banks, one of the staple sounds I’ve heard over the past three years has been the jingle jangle of carabiners.

Although the term “carabiner” can be traced back to the 16th century, the modern carabiner we’re most familiar with today was first produced in 1911 by German climber Otto Herzog for hiking purposes.

Even though it’s much safer now for queer people to be loud and proud about their queerness, this wasn’t the case at one point in time. Many queer people today still have used methods like these to flag in places where it’s still not very safe to do so.