Pink triangle
Pink triangle is a zine meant to educate about queer topics differently every time. The pink triangle is a symbol that was used by the Nazi-regime to label gay people in concentration camps. In contrast to the symbols that are in this issue the pink triangle was a symbol that was put onto queer people by non-queer people. Later it has been reclaimed in various different ways and it has become a symbol of empowerment, thats why the zine is in the shape of a triangle when folded and colored pink.
This issue shows some of the codes queer people have used throughout history to identify one another.
Download the PDF file of the first issue by clicking on the pink triangle. In the right corner of the PDF is a guide that shows how to fold it when printed.
1. Earrings
An earring in the left ear lobe could suggest active role during sexual intercourse.
An earring in the right ear lobe could suggest passive role during sexual intercourse.
2. Lesbian manicure
“Femme-icure” is the informal term used for the common queer manicure characterized by long nails on all fingers except the middle and pointer fingers, which are kept shorter for sexual activities.
3. Hanky code
The hanky code is a flagging system that gay and bi-sexual men have used to communicate their sexual preferences to each other with handkerchiefs. Different colors of handkerchiefs represent different kinks or preferred ways to enjoy sex. Wearing the handkerchief on the left side indicates an active role during sexual itercourse while wearing it on the right side indicates a passive role.
4. Tattooed eyes on belly
In Soviet prisons a lot of different tattoos had a lot of different meanings. One of these tattoos that was often forced onto gay people as a way to humiliate them was eyes on the stomach as a euphemism for a face, with their genitalia representing the nose. Next to the eyes there were multiple tattoos that were meant to label gay people in Soviet prisons.
5. Ace ring
A black ring often worn on the middle finger could suggest the wearer identifying as a-sexual.
Supposedly, women in the 1900s would offer bouquets of violets to express their interest in starting a romantic relationship with other women.
Friends of Oscar Wilde were reportedly urged to wear green carnations to the premiere of Lady Windermere’s Fan. This sparked a trend where men who were romantically interested in other men wore green carnations as a discreet signal to one another, according to Prager.