r/butchlesbians • u/wowieka • Apr 24 '26
Discussion how do people here feel about the labrys symbol?
i know people have felt iffy about the labrys since lots of terfs kind of took it over, but i want to reclaim it. i’ve been wearing a key chain of it on my carabiner and i’ve been thinking of getting a labrys tattoo inspired by corky from bound one of my favorite butches in media 😙 i was just curious what the general consensus of it is. i don’t know if the general population thinks anything of it but i don’t want people to think im a turf as im walking down the street lol. how do you all feel about the labrys?
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u/fault_lee_friend Apr 24 '26
I love my labrys tattoo! got it a few years ago. its a stylized one with ginkgo leaves as the blades.
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u/gard3nwitch Apr 24 '26
I think that having an axe on a pride flag is pretty metal and we should steal it back from the TERFs.
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u/wowieka Apr 24 '26
i agree i remember that was one of the first lesbian pride flags i saw as a baby lesbian but i feel like im now starting to appreciate it
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u/Autronaut69420 Apr 24 '26
It always gave me a thrill seeing labrys wearing lesbians when I was a ypung woman just finding others. I asaociate it with a strong, independent and smart vibe. I personally love it as a symbol and if was a jewelery wearer I would wear one.
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u/bubblegumx2inadish Apr 24 '26
I love it. I like it a hell of a lot more than most other lesbian flags and indicators. I see it predominantly used by butches and trans women. I do feel it has been mostly reclaimed from the terfs, at least in the communities I am in.
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u/wowieka Apr 24 '26
yeah i love the symbol so much it makes me feel so strong and empowered to be a butch. thanks for your response!
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u/russells-42nd-teapot Apr 24 '26
I'm a transfem butch.
What I've found living on terf island is that the labrys flag specifically is a terf symbol, the labrys itself is a lot more of a dyke symbol, it's extensively used in the spaces I run around in.
Generally I've found butches to be the most chill and inclusive lesbian demographic in terms of trans rights, a butch with a labrys tattoo will generally feel safe to me. If you're worried about appearing safe regardless, I'd recommend you wear a "protect trans lives" badge.
Also reclaiming the labrys flag is one of my pet causes, it's too badass to let the terfs get away with stealing and I feel the symbolism is particularly relevant to trans lesbians in the current sociopolitical climate (I have a whole rant about this, lmk if you want me to type it out lol.)
Edit: also I want a labrys tattoo myself for totally not Corky inspiration reasons
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u/wowieka Apr 24 '26
yes i feel the same way. i have been nonbinary for 5 years but a little over a year ago i started identifying as trans masc butch and it just feels so right. i would never want to represent a group that wants to keep our community down. i heard about the labrys first when i was a baby lesbian but rediscovered it while watching bound and i just fell in love. i wont let them take away something so cool! thanks for your response and id love to hear more of your thoughts!
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u/West_Dirt_4635 Butch Apr 26 '26
If you are comfortable with it I would LOVE to hear you rant about how the labrys is symbolically relevant to trans women. This is making me realize I either don’t know or forgot the symbolism tbh, I’d genuinely love to hear about it through the lense of transfemininity.
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u/NelyafinweMaitimo Apr 24 '26
They can't have the labrys, the labrys flag, or any of our shit. We need to stop letting them take it.
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u/thispurplegentleman Apr 25 '26
'terf island' lmao
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u/Euphoric-Slice-6266 Apr 25 '26
I love randomly seeing this post three days before i get the labrys from Bound on my forearm haha, it's gonna have lavender, california poppies and blue dykes (commonly called blue dicks) wrapped around it.
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u/yakeets Apr 24 '26
I love it. I hang the labrys flag in my home. I have a tattoo of it on my chest. It’s ours. Don’t let TERFs have it.
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u/russells-42nd-teapot Apr 24 '26
I wanna go to my next trans pride with a labrys flag with an anti-terf message painted on it. Fuck the miserable bastards.
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u/Special_Group9187 Apr 24 '26
i’m butch/transmasc + have a labrys tattoo. i feel way more comfortable with the labrys flag than with the orangey/pink one cos it feels less femme 🤷🏻 plus the labrys flag is sick!! we can’t let some dusty terfs steal it
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u/-IHaveNoGoddamnClue- Transfem Butch (she/her only) Apr 24 '26
I'm a butch trans woman, I wear a labrys medallion on my carabineer every single day, and if the TERFs want it they can pry it my cold dead hands.
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u/SaintRidley Apr 24 '26
My next plan for a tattoo is to black out my left arm and leave a labrys in white space on the shoulder. So… yeah, I fuck with a labrys and I’m trans.
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u/Macrocosmix Apr 24 '26
I'm a trans butch lesbian and they can pry the labrys from my cold dead hands
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u/Guilty_Diver_855 Apr 24 '26
I had my labrys tattoo for 26 years way before Terf was a thing. Reading this makes me wantt to go get it retouched to make it bolder.
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u/christina_talks Apr 24 '26
I refuse to let transmisogynists have the labrys. The lipstick flag with the lip mark removed and the “sunset” flag with the lipstick and butch flags smashed together never appealed to me. The rainbow flag and the labrys flag were always my favorites.
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u/StaubEll Femme Apr 24 '26
I love it, I think it's hot, and I think it should belong to trans butches _^
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u/Metal_Dyke_3906 Apr 25 '26
The labrys is one of our oldest lesbian symbols and has a lot of historical significance. A lot of older women never stopped wearing it.
There’s no reason to avoid it… I guess unless you have a militant group of trans people roaming the streets looking for terfs 😂
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u/lolghst3 Apr 25 '26
I love the labrys. And the labrys flag is also so much more badass than rhe sunset one. I‘ve seen ones where the trans flag colors are in the triangle behind the labrys. I love that
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u/Personal_Coach7653 Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
Pesonally I'm getting fecking tired of all my flags being stolen by anti trans fuck heads.
Id love nothing more to put a gender queer flag or a lesbian flag up for pride or awareness. But it's got to the point I'm concerned people will misinterpret.
I'm equally tired of worrying about bathrooms for being 6ft and GNC female.
But I'm also pretty exhausted from being told I'm a terf for just existing, and being told I'm a trans man because I like boxers.
It's gotten so bad I've ended up back in therapy.
So fucking fed up of being caught in the crossfire of this shit show and I cannot wait for it to end. And for people to remember trans and GNC people and intersex people are human fucking beings.
But at least 10 years ago here it was clear to everyone I was a trans ally - now it's its literally a minefield.
... Like godamn can we please just stop being idiotic about people being trans. Signed - a Brit.
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u/tapforonegreen Apr 24 '26
the "terf-y" view of the labrys is pretty much an online only thing. normal people in real life do not care
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u/No-Delivery8138 Apr 24 '26
Why do you call them feminists when they're rarely feminist?
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u/wowieka Apr 24 '26
i don’t think they’re feminists that’s just what people know them as
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Apr 24 '26
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Apr 24 '26
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u/PinkWhiteAndBlue Butch Female Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
Trans women are female. Denying this is transphobic and will result in you being permanently banned.
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Apr 28 '26
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u/PinkWhiteAndBlue Butch Female Apr 28 '26
Not all cis women "identify" as female, why does your original comment only imply that trans women aren't?
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u/NelyafinweMaitimo Apr 28 '26
It doesn't.
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u/PinkWhiteAndBlue Butch Female Apr 28 '26
Claims womens issues cover more than just females
Uses trans women (as opposed to cis women) as your sole example of this being the case
Lol. Lmao even.
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Apr 24 '26
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u/NelyafinweMaitimo Apr 24 '26
Yes. Are you saying that it's not?
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Apr 24 '26
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u/NelyafinweMaitimo Apr 24 '26
Yes, being a man is political. All gender is political. This is really basic stuff.
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u/grimmfritter Apr 24 '26
We live in a patriarchy. Any gender can be considered political because the foundation of our society is literally built upon making a distinction between genders.
People used to laugh at the idea of doctors washing their hands or giving women the right to vote in the first place, so I’m not sure why anyone would care about who’s laughing at what.
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Apr 24 '26
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u/grimmfritter Apr 24 '26
So we’re gonna narrow in on that, ignore the other example, the point I’m actually making, and the entire discussion topic. You’re just looking to argue with everyone in these comments and not have a real discussion, got it
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u/ParadoxicalFrog Genderqueer Butch Apr 24 '26
They are commonly known as TERFs because that's what they call themselves, and for some reason, nothing else seems to stick. You're right, though, they are by definition not really feminists.
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u/No-Delivery8138 Apr 24 '26
Thank you!! Terf has a zing to it too. "Terfs" do like to use the 🪚 to disassociate themselves. Would be clever to see something related to that
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u/NelyafinweMaitimo Apr 24 '26
It's not a "terf symbol," and we CANNOT let them turn it into one. It is one of our most potent symbols and we are the vilest cowards if we let fascists take it without a fight.