Since the rainbow is more-or-less the unofficial state symbol of Hawaii, with its presence practically everywhere, it might be confusing if the state’s GLBT community uses it as their symbol; it would just get lost in the noise of the rainbows that are displayed everywhere else. In Hawaii, do gays use a different symbol (pink triangle, equals sign, something else) as a substitute for the rainbow?
Looks to me like Hawaiians use the rainbow.
http://gayhawaii.com/weblinks.htm
I think it’s clear from the context.
Does anyone use a pink triangle? One would think that’d be among the symbols Hitler and the Nazis sorta ruined for everyone else, like the swastika (though admittedly many asian culture still use it. The Japanese use the mirrored form on maps to represent temples, for instance)
Is the lambda symbol entirely obsolete now?
That’s kind of the point: it serves as a memorial for human rights atrocities, and as a symbol of resistance. It’s usually a somewhat more militant symbol than the rainbow, and more specifically references gay men. Wikipedia
The activist group ACT UP used the pink triangle point-up to reverse its original meaning.
I have seem the pink triangle, point down, in use by American gay men, but in Illinois, not Hawaii.
In my experience, gay rainbows are usually straight. As strange as that may sound. Maybe it’s because they fit well on a flag that way. I haven’t been to Hawaii but I assume that “Hawaiian rainbows” are curved, like actual rainbows. But there are several other symbols (Wikipedia link) with various GLBT-related meanings.
The pink triangle is used by the Safe Place program. Link below is to the Montclair University program of the same name. Illinois state used the same triangle when I was there and I’m sure it’s used at other universities that have similar programs.
That’s the whole point of using the pink triangle . . . to transform it from a symbol of oppression and shame to a symbol of strength and pride.
Like how they ruined the Star of David?
“Presence practically everywhere” is an exaggeration; the only place I frequently saw rainbows in Hawaii was in UH campus shops when our college teams were all the Rainbow Warriors/Wahine (women). Or maybe in Waikiki, in ads aimed at tourists. But it’s not like you walk down the street in downtown or in the suburbs and are bombarded by rainbows on signs, ads, clothing, rainbow-striped buildings, rainbow foods, and rainbow cars.
GayHawaii.com and the gay film festival have logos in rainbow colors, and I’ve heard of a Rainbow Award. I’ve seen a couple with triangle-based designs. But some have none of the symbols associated with gay pride/identification. It’s not like it’s a universal thing across all gay organizations anyway. So while I’m sure Hawaii makes use of rainbows more often than, say, Minnesota, the occasional use of one doesn’t really lost in the crowd.
Most state level chapters of gay rights organization have a flag that’s a combo of the rainbow flag and the state flag. You rarely see them as the rainbow’s more ubiquitous.
Thanks for your answers!