Is AVEN's upside down triangle symbol offensive to Gays and Lesbians?
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- Category: LGBT Issues
- Published on Tuesday, 04 October 2011 16:09
- Written by Nicole Dawn
- Hits: 1227
The upside down shaded triangle has long been a symbol of AVEN. The significance of the triangle differs considerably from the significance of the symbol adopted by the Gay rights movement, but even though the symbols may stand for different things, there is some confusion between the symbols and critics of the use of AVEN's triangle do have a point about the inappropriate nature of the symbol.
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What the above poster said. It has to do with Nazi victims, specifically gay people. Sorry but asexuals have not been put through that sort of thing and should not be claiming to share such a symbol. I do think it's offensive because I think people will forget the original reason for it and for the lgbt group using and reclaiming it. Why Asexuals are using it... I dunno. I'm asexual but I'm bothered by the use of this symbol. Since we sometimes refer to ourselves as Aces why don't we simply use the symbol of the Ace or something else? I just think it's insensitive.
David Jay says he created the AVEN triangle as a symbol for showing how asexuality exists on a dimension not represented on the Kinsey scale -- which is the top line on the triangle. But I think that even if the resemblance to the gay community's pink triangle is purely coincidental, we should replace it with other symbols. The similarity is the first thing a lot of people notice about the AVEN triangle, whether it's coincidental or not, and I think that needs to change.
Uh - the argument that it is a misappropriatio n is ridiculous. Going back to the 1980's the State Bank of Victoria (Australia) used an upside down blue triangle as their logo. You might as well say the AVEN symbol is a misappropriatio n of that. The other aspect that makes me laugh is the use of the rainbow as a symbol of LGBT pride. Since Biblical times the use of the rainbow has been used by the Jewish and Christian community as a covenant between God and humanity to not send another flood, and is seen as a symbol of Christian hope. This is from the same Bible that says "Man shall not lie with a man as he would a woman; God hates that." The LGBT community could be criticised for misappropriatin g a symbol that has been use for the anti-LGBT community for millennia!
The truth is that a symbol is just that - a symbol. The understanding of what a nations flag means is different to almost every person. They're here, and not queer. Just get used to it already.
I know someone who survived a concentration camp in Nazi Europe. I don’t think he would find it honorable, despite that he would support the AVEN—and greater asexuality—cause. Additionally, if AVEN should adopt any symbol it shouldn’t have to be everyone’s, just the site’s. Not everyone is on AVEN or likes it, but I suppose that’s a different topic. Mainly, using a symbol that is very much historically not ours but another group’s or groups’ is dishonoring those who have suffered. I’m not saying asexual people have not suffered, but we cannot reclaim a war-victim symbol.
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_concentration_camp_badges