h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That's a transgender symbol? I bought a pin with an image very similar to that from a breast cancer charity. I wonder if they knew...

Actually, what you got was probably a pink ribbon. If you search online, you'll see that a lot of people put the pink ribbon on personal pages and breast cancer awareness sites.

There are other ribbon campaigns, too. These include red for Aids, purple for domestic abuse, green for organ donation, white for terrorist victims, yellow for campaigns to bring military men home, and blue for free speech.

it wasn't a pink ribbon. it was a female sign (circle with a plus underneath), with an extended bottom spike, two little devil horns, and a halo. and it was pink. i'd draw it and post a link, except I'm not allowed. ((do you get the feeling i'm starting to tire of the house rules?))

You're right, then. It does sound distinctly like the transgendered symbol. I can't imagine what else it might be either. Odd.

I don't think they did well as a new "symbol" for breast cancer charities like the pink ribbon did, because mine is the only one I've seen since then!

It's odd that the transgender symbol is the same symbol used as a glyph to represent the planet Mercury in Astrology. When did they decide to use that planetary glyph to stand for "transgender"?

It started to be used that way sometime in the 70s. And actually, it happened about the same time as the male-male and female-female symbols. It's just been a less recognized symbol, kind of the same way transgenderism is less recognized in Western society.

More information on these symbols is at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A412570