Asexual flag controversy?

[SteveMasked]

Hi, first time poster here.

So recently I ran into a post on Twitter supposedly explaining some antisemitic meaning behind the asexual flag.

I'm not jewish so I'm not so sure about the claims and would love the community's take on the matter.

 

[LeChat]

Oh. I see; it's about the "triangle."

 

https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/199594-the-black-triangle/?tab=comments#comment-1063859291

 

There are a couple more threads listed in this post, too.

 

[Purple Red Panda]

The  triangle = antisemitism thing doesn't make sense to me. A whole series of coloured triangular concentration camp badges were used in the Third Reich to denote various classes of prisoners (political, criminal, asocial etc) and they were used on non-Jewish prisoners. Jewish prisoners would wear a double triangle with a yellow triangle to denote them as Jewish and another coloured triangle superimposed on it to form the Star of David*. I think the problem is people are confusing concentration camps (which existed well before the implementation of the Final Solution) and the extermination camps of the Holocaust, although there is obvious overlap between the two and concentration camps did play a role in the Nazi's murder of approximately six million Jews they had other functions as well, in the early phases of Nazi rule they were used mainly for political prisoners.

 

* I can't remember off the top of my head whether this was always the practice of if it was introduced at a later date.

 

-Edit-  there was almost certainly variation between camps and at different times during the Nazi era (I'd need to look up the details)

 

 

[SamewhereSameplace]

1 hour ago, LeChat said:

Oh. I see; it's about the "triangle."

 

https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/199594-the-black-triangle/?tab=comments#comment-1063859291

 

There are a couple more threads listed in this post, too.

 

^ Good find!

I think things are pretty well already covered by the users there, but I'm too distracted reading through the twitter user's posts, so I'd like to just say a few comments specifically to that.


I don't think this guy's arguments actually make sense even on surface level. I'm not saying this is a troll or someone posting in bad faith, but I do think what they are posting seems like it's just cobbled together to create a discussion, without any substance to what serious matters are actually being brought up to be discussed.

The triangle: 
It seems he's hung up on the AVEN triangle (which he even refers to as the "AVEN triangle") and connects this to triangles used to mark gays and lesbians (and many others) in the holocaust. But, this triangle isn't that one. He even links to images of sites explaining that it's the AVEN triangle and that it represents the Kinsey scale.
It's a triangle. The geometric shape. But he's still calling it out.

More so, the triangle isn't even on the Ace flag, it's on the demi flag. So, this is an ace flag, but besides the fact that it isn't even positioned the same way or even shaped the same style, it's literally not the flag he is trying to change!

The colors:
He likens the ace flag to that old style lesbian flag that's black, purple, and has a white axe on it. But, that's not this flag. That's not even all the colors, the pattern, any of it. The colors meanings aren't even the same.

Self promotion:
He has already created his own flag, complete with new colors and color meanings. It is 5 stripes. It flips the ace flag upside down. And, it replaces purple with 2 shades of blue. (Basically he made a blue Aro flag.  Why?)

The more I am going through his posts and comments, the more I am incline to think he just wanted to change the colors to his own.
I somewhat take back that idea that it's not in bad faith, because I'm getting Sonic fan-character vibes.
 

[GingerRose]

Personally it's lots of colors on fabric, I don't really care who designed it. As long as I have something than I can use to represent my support and feelings about ace without saying ace, that's all I mind.

[Skycaptain]

I've never seen the triangle used anywhere other than in threads on AVEN discussing it, or in a book on the history of asexuality. Everyone uses the four colour flag, so I think this is a non-issue 

[Janus the Fox]

Yeah the upside down triangle itself has unfortunate Holocaust routes, but the ace flag colours ominous that combination existed well before the flag did in clothing.  I’d hazard a guess it’s a common colour pattern in perhaps the fields of colour theory, fashion and the arts. 

[NickyTannock]

A belated welcome to AVEN!

 

The twitter link you posted isn't loading for me, but I know the claim you're talking about, and as far as I'm concerned, it's misinformation.
The AVEN triangle represents the ace spectrum.
And a downward-pointing triangle has been used to represent other spectrums as well, such as the gender spectrum.
I believe this insinuation has acephobic roots.

 

Incidentally, it is a tradition here to welcome new members by offering cake, and here's a "Triangle" cake,

https://cakesdecor.com/cakes/313466-triangle-cake

[Scott1989]

I've seen a few people mention the triangle, but I've seen complaints about the actual flag, not the triangle (though in one instance the triangle was used to argue against the flag)

(Blanked out names to avoid any harassment claims)