What?? I’m a heterosexual woman who adores caribiners & inadvertently have them on display everywhere all the time, strictly for their functionality. Do you suppose everyone thinks I’m a lesbian and I had no idea I’ve been inadvertently giving that signal? I am so embarrassed. Please tell me you’re joking. I’m gonna have to go reconfigure my backpack & hide all my caribiners, aren’t I?
Those codes are more historical, dating back to times when it wasn’t possible to be open about your sexuality. Its mostly backstory now, but there is still a connection and association between caibiners and lesbians to this day.
But you’re fine wearing them. They’re used by climbers, thery’re also useful for hanging or carrying things, and their a nice accessory. They can mean many things, or be without meaning. Don’t change your style on the off chance a few lesbians may briefly misidentify you.
It’s like driving a subaru forester. Sure, you’re statistically more likely to be a lesbian, but it’s probably not going to cause people to think you’re one.
It’s a signal with a lot of false positives. If I see a woman wearing a carabiner I don’t assume she’s gay, but I might start looking for other signals.
A lot of the more subtle signals exist to be deniable or because they’re practical things that might be seen as not particularly traditionally feminine or unattractive to more traditional men.
And because of social changes over the years this has made a lot of them go from things lesbians are a lot more likely to do than straight women, to things that a lot of lesbians do associating it with our community and culture while plenty of straight women do them because they’re practical (such as wearing carabiners) or became fashionable in general (such as having a bunch of tattoos and piercings) or subculturally (such as wearing flannel shirts) or for any number of other reasons
What?? I’m a heterosexual woman who adores caribiners & inadvertently have them on display everywhere all the time, strictly for their functionality. Do you suppose everyone thinks I’m a lesbian and I had no idea I’ve been inadvertently giving that signal? I am so embarrassed. Please tell me you’re joking. I’m gonna have to go reconfigure my backpack & hide all my caribiners, aren’t I?
Those codes are more historical, dating back to times when it wasn’t possible to be open about your sexuality. Its mostly backstory now, but there is still a connection and association between caibiners and lesbians to this day.
But you’re fine wearing them. They’re used by climbers, thery’re also useful for hanging or carrying things, and their a nice accessory. They can mean many things, or be without meaning. Don’t change your style on the off chance a few lesbians may briefly misidentify you.
It’s like driving a subaru forester. Sure, you’re statistically more likely to be a lesbian, but it’s probably not going to cause people to think you’re one.
It’s a signal with a lot of false positives. If I see a woman wearing a carabiner I don’t assume she’s gay, but I might start looking for other signals.
A lot of the more subtle signals exist to be deniable or because they’re practical things that might be seen as not particularly traditionally feminine or unattractive to more traditional men.
And because of social changes over the years this has made a lot of them go from things lesbians are a lot more likely to do than straight women, to things that a lot of lesbians do associating it with our community and culture while plenty of straight women do them because they’re practical (such as wearing carabiners) or became fashionable in general (such as having a bunch of tattoos and piercings) or subculturally (such as wearing flannel shirts) or for any number of other reasons