page_title: LGBT symbols
section_title: Violets
hierarchical_section_title: LGBT symbols / Other symbols / Violets
caption_attribution_description: Viola uliginosa Besser Original Caption Grosses Sumpfveilchen, Viola uliginosa
context_page_description: The LGBT community has adopted certain symbols for self-identification to demonstrate unity, pride, shared values, and allegiance to one another. LGBT symbols communicate ideas, concepts, and identity both within their communities and to mainstream culture. The two most-recognized international LGBT symbols are the pink triangle and the rainbow flag.
context_section_description: Violets and their color became a special code used by lesbians and bisexual women. The symbolism of the flower derives from several fragments of poems by Sappho in which she describes a lover wearing garlands or a crown with violets. In 1926, the play La Prisonnière by Édouard Bourdet used a bouquet of violets to signify lesbian love. When the play became subject to censorship, many Parisian lesbians wore violets to demonstrate solidarity with its lesbian subject matter.
caption: Viola uliginosa flower
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