Editing Unicorn (section)

== Queer culture ==
{{See also|LGBTQ symbols}}
[[File:GlimmerPrideUnicornPicture.jpg|thumb|A toy unicorn, about which its creators have written, "Meet Glimmer, the Pride unicorn! Show off your pride or support your favorite member of the LGBTQIA+ community with this adorable, colorful unicorn plush." Note its hair has, as its creators describe it, "vibrant rainbow colors", like the [[Rainbow flag (LGBTQ)|rainbow flag]].<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20241009153440/https://www.amazon.com/Glimmer-Pride-Unicorn-Colorful-Handmade/dp/B0CHXGGTLQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1YDJR5ZH99ID0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.I9j_fecvi5LpsgBpAeMFPqeq4GxKUJ2zfmaXJLwXx_g.9_uBn-NxSi0PNzbG41CvvtENY2BPQ-f03I8DZwTbeok&dib_tag=se&keywords=Glimmer+the+pride+unicorn&qid=1728488049&sprefix=glimmer+the+pride+unicorn%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-1</ref>]]
By the beginning of the 21st century, unicorns became a [[LGBT symbols|queer icon]], second only to the rainbow flag, symbolizing queerness.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=How did unicorns get so gay? An investigation |url=https://www.mic.com/life/how-did-unicorns-get-so-gay-investigation-23625803 |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=Mic |date=24 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Wareham |first=Jamie |date=2018-08-17 |title=Unicorns are the gay, LGBTI and queer icons of our time (and I'm obsessed) |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/evidence-unicorns-are-queer-icons/ |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=Gay Star News |language=en-GB |archive-date=2022-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302130745/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/evidence-unicorns-are-queer-icons/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Rainbow flag and blue skies.jpg|upright|thumb|A [[Rainbow flag (LGBTQ)|rainbow flag]] flying.]]
The [[Rainbow flag (LGBT)|rainbow flag]], created by American artist [[Gilbert Baker (artist)|Gilbert Baker]] in 1978 as a joyous symbol of the diversity of the [[LGBT community|queer community]], became prominent during the gay rights protests of the 1970s and 1980s. Unicorns, which were intrinsically linked to rainbows since the [[Victorian era]], became a symbol of the queer community.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2017-10-15 |title=Why the unicorn has become the emblem for our times {{!}} Alice Fisher |url=http://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/15/return-of-the-unicorn-the-magical-beast-of-our-times |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

There is no consensus on how the unicorn became a gay icon.<ref name=":0"/> Alice Fisher, an editor of Observer Design magazine, notes that the values of a unicorn – as rare and magical – have resulted in the word being used with various connotations. However, she argues that the Victorian association between rainbows and unicorns has resulted in unicorns becoming a queer icon.<ref name=":2" />

When directly asked, queer people give different answers about why they have close personal relationships with unicorns.<ref name=":0" /> They often relate to one or more of the following aspects: uniqueness, magical quality, elusiveness and gender fluidity.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=How Did the Unicorn Become a Symbol of Queerness? |url=https://www.thewhale.com/gay-unicorn-symbolism/ |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=The Whale |date=29 October 2021 |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815170817/https://www.thewhale.com/gay-unicorn-symbolism/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

Queer individuals tend to relate to the unicorn because of their unique sexual orientation and gender identity.<ref name=":3" /> A New Orleans journalist who identifies as queer, Tracey Anne Duncan, described her connection to unicorns when she watched [[The Last Unicorn (film)|''The Last Unicorn'']] as a child. In the film, the protagonist believed she was one of a kind throughout her life. Tracey was able to relate to that feeling, even though she did not really know what "her kind" was at that time.<ref name=":0" />

The unicorn is an imaginary animal that lives in a world of myths and legends.<ref name=":3" /> Queer people, whose existence may seem to blur the lines between societal norms of masculinity and femininity, may feel like they do not fully belong in this world. It explains their interests in mythical creatures such as unicorns, mermaids, and fairies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Iversen |first=Kristin |title=Why Millennials' Obsession With Mermaids, Unicorns, And The Color Pink Matters |url=https://www.nylon.com/articles/mermaids-unicorns-millennial-pink-lgbtq-queer-culture |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=Nylon |date=6 June 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

Some argue that the gender fluidity of the unicorn makes it a suitable representation of the LGBT community. In ancient myths, the unicorn is portrayed as male, whereas in the modern times, it is depicted as a female creature.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />