Gay hand gestures

Each of these symbols has a unique meaning that holds importance within the LGBTQ community. 1. Rainbow. The most recognizable symbol that represents the LGBTQ community today is the rainbow. Strewn across flags, banners, and pins, the rainbow symbolizes the diversity of gays and lesbians around the world. Much like the rainbow flag or the handkerchief system, certain flowers have been used to identify an LGBT+ community, or conversely, secretly signal an LGBT+ identity.

Some of the most well-known events in LGBT+ history reference flowers, from the Lavender Menace protest and the Lavender Scare persecutions to Oscar Wilde’s green carnations. At some point—certainly by the early 20th century, but maybe even earlier—gay men co-opted stereotypical postures and hand gestures as a way to signal their sexual orientation. In a Each finger looks like the stripes on the original LGBTQ flag symbolizing sex, life, healing, sunlight, nature, magic/art, serenity, and spirit.

To me, this sign is the least controversial sign to engage in identity discourse as it succinctly references a number of positive attributes of our community. The gay hand as a derogatory term used against the queer community is long ingrained within society. In an interview conducted by Clive Coleman with an individual confidentially named “Tim”, he describes how he was subjected to discrimination through the uses of stereotypes.

One of the main problems travelers face is communicating with the locals. Even if you never leave home without your trusty phrase book, communication is as much about nonverbal cues as it is about talking. In fact, people rely more heavily on hand gestures and body language when in situations where they are unable to verbally interact with someone. But did you know that not all hand gestures mean the same thing in every country?

In some places, gestures that we use on a daily basis in the U. Take the OK sign — the simple hand signal where you put your thumb and first finger together to create a circular shape. In the U. Yet it is seen as offensive in Greece, Spain, and Brazil. In Turkey, that sign is also an insult to gay people. The last time I checked, there was no section in any of my phrasebooks for hand gestures.

The chin flick. The fig. And, in some countries it symbolizes lady parts. Forearm jerk. This is the action of punching your fist into your elbow joint while raising the other fist up in front of you. The moutza. In Greece, Mexico, the Middle East, and Africa, the action of raising your open hand, palm out, with spread fingers in front of someone is a serious sign of displeasure. Possibly one of the oldest hand gestures still in use, it dates all the way back to ancient Byzantium, when criminals were chained to donkeys and paraded through the streets, where locals would rub their own feces onto the prisoner.

Related: Planning Your Trip to Mexico. The cutis.

gay hand sign language

This sign will likely get you ejected from any place of business and not welcomed back. Five fathers. Head shake. This can lead to some serious confusion if you are being hit on or trying to order food off a menu. Crossing your fingers. In Vietnam, crossing your fingers, as we would in the U. It is the hand-sign alternative of calling someone the c -word.

Come on over. In fact, this gesture is deemed so bad that you can actually get arrested for using it. We promise you that the last place you want to end up on your vacation is inside a Philippine prison. Crossed arms. Crossing your arms in front of you is considered a huge sign of arrogance in Finland.

Standing with this posture in a bar is likely to get you into a fight.