Labrys Lesbian Flag

The Labrys Lesbian Flag is one of the earliest lesbian pride flags, created in 1999 by graphic designer Sean Campbell and first published in a 2000 Pride issue of the Gay and Lesbian Times. Its design layers three symbols: a labrys, or double-headed axe, an ancient emblem of matriarchal power associated with the Amazons and adopted by lesbian feminists in the 1970s; a black inverted triangle, reclaimed from the badge the Nazis used to mark women deemed anti-social, including lesbians; and a violet background drawn from the poetry of Sappho, long linked to love between women. Together they turn symbols of oppression into affirmations of strength. It remains a meaningful, if less common, lesbian pride flag today.