Carabiner meaning gay

This trend is undeniable, with there now being multiple queer climbing clubs in the UK such as Not So Trad, Climbing QTs UK, and GOC Adventure Out. 

DIVA magazine celebrates 30 years in print in 2024. “Oscar Wilde used to wear green carnations as a symbol of queerness, the hanky code in the mid-1900s served as a way to indicate specific aspects of your sexuality to those familiar with what each color hanky represented; a present-day example could include cuffing your jeans as a marker of being bisexual.”

Queer coding is also heavily prevalent in media, defined by VanderStouwe as “giving some sort of trait typically associated with queerness to a character in media that can create an interpretation without any sort of explicit mention.”  

In everyday life, certain styles or items have become coded within queer communities, functioning as subtle signals to one another.

They are a perfect visual signifier for a culture that contains a full spectrum of gender presentations.

It is interesting to note, however, how the use of the carabiner has come somewhat full circle in the lesbian realm. Examining this history of queer culture and its impact is very much important. As these codes become mainstream, LGBTQ+ individuals sometimes find it harder to “spot” each other using traditional markers, leading to new ways of expressing identity. 

VanderStouwe broke down the evolution of queer coding, from where it began to what it has become today. 

“Queer coding is something that when used a long time ago in media, often was used to convey negative associations because it was ‘bad’ to be queer, so villains got coded as queer a lot,” VanderStouwe said.

From then on, many gay men would wear green carnations on their lapels in order to show their sexuality. 

So-called ‘sapphic’ violets served a similar purpose, though predominantly for women who loved other women. After the war ended, women working outside the home in any capacity were often reluctant to give up their newly won financial freedom and independence, therefore giving the carabiner a signifier of female liberation, masculinity, and eventually lesbianism.

In the 1970s, the working-class associations of carabiners flourished among both feminists and lesbians who dressed to subvert the male gaze.

Fashion during the decade was far more androgynous than in previous eras.

Cuffing jeans or pants is another recognizable queer fashion trend, especially among bisexual people. 

Queer coding in media originated largely due to the restrictive Hays Code, introduced in the 1930s, which banned explicit representations of homosexuality in film. However, one important thing members of the community have in common is the need to subtly flag their queerness to each other.

Green carnations were popularized by Oscar Wilde as a way for men to signal their attraction to other men. Perhaps it is due to the adaptability of the accessory. Not only are butch lesbians choosing to wear these more masculine pieces, but femme lesbians are also using these as ways to flag. Despite some codes losing exclusivity, queer people continue to influence cultural trends and develop new ways of signaling identity. 

The resilience and creativity behind queer coding highlight queer people’s ongoing role in shaping style and self-expression.