Name/Title
[Lambda & Pride Flag Pinback Button]Entry/Object ID
2023.08.08Tags
ArtworksDescription
A circular, homemade pinback button featuring a marker-drawn rainbow Pride background and a back lowercase lambda symbol.Item Type
Pinback buttonUse
Possibly worn by the artist who made it.Context
The lowercase lambda symbol has a decades-long history in lesbian and gay activism. Gay activist Tom Doer is credited as having first come up with utilizing the lambda in this way for the Gay Activists Alliance in New York's logo in 1970. From there, the International Gay Rights Congress formally adopted the logo in 1974 at their gathering in Edinburgh, Scotland. Currently, as put by the Eastern Illinois University Center For Gender and Sexual Diversity, "the symbol is used to represent lesbians' and gay men's shared concerns." There is continuous conversation about why the lambda was chosen, as it has several historical definitions, meanings, and uses, including scientific meanings of energy/catalyst/change, among more (EIU Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity; People's History Museum). (Linked in this record)Collection
Adrian J. Cardwell CollectionLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
Button, InsigniaNomenclature Primary Object Term
InsigniaNomenclature Sub-Class
Status SymbolsNomenclature Class
Personal SymbolsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsGetty AAT
Concept
LGBTQ+, memorabilia, symbols, flagsLegacy Lexicon
Object Name
LGBTQ+ pride flags, LambdaCategory
HomosaurusColor
Black, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, PurpleValuations
Valuation Type
Donor EstimateValue
$5.00Date
Oct 5, 2026Create Date
October 5, 2026Update Date
October 15, 2026