Carabiners and Subaru

These are myths... right? Stereotypes?

But sometimes they do have so basses in facts...

What is the lesbian carabiner code?

Why are carabiners the unofficial accessory for every lesbian night out – and what is their meaning for LGBT people?

Pink News

By Sophie Perry

June 26, 2026

Today, for many queer women, wearing a carabiner isn’t just about holding keys: it’s a nod to history, a statement of identity and a way to connect with others in the know. But what is the carabiner code and what’s the history behind this sapphic symbol?

A carabiner is a small metal clip, usually made of aluminium or steel, with a spring-loaded gate, and is commonly used in activities such as rock climbing. However, the accessory also has a history entangled with LGBTQ+ culture.

One of the first public nods to its history came from cartoonist Alison Bechdel, famous for Dykes to Watch Out For, who immortalised it through the “Ring of Keys” moment in her memoir Fun Home, where a young Bechdel recognises another queer woman – not by what she says but by what she’s wearing: a carabiner.

So do you have a carabiner? I do. Um, actually 3.

As women’s job opportunities expanded, the carabiner remained, becoming a quiet symbol of queer resilience, butch style, and community within the wider WLW world. In some lesbian circles, carabiners have worked like the gay men’s hanky code, where placement matters.

Clipped on the left, they can signal someone being a “bottom”, on the right, you’re a “top”. It’s a low-key way to signal preferences, often flying under the radar of straight onlookers.

So, the next time you spot a carabiner at the club, on the street, or in a café, remember: it’s not just an accessory. It’s a nod to the past, a wink to the present and a silent pledge to the future of lesbian culture.

Whoa, I never knew that! But I have mine in my pocketbook.

When I volunteered at the health collective they had a jar of them by the door. They are really handy and not just for keys, they are great in tying a knot. Need something to hold your dog to your beach chair bingo.

Another symbol that I never believed in until one day, it the Subaru. On the website Marketing the Rainbow they write,

Subaru is the automotive division of the Japanese transportation conglomerate Subaru Corporation, formerly Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI). It is a small player, the twenty-second car manufacturer worldwide. Subaru is the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster "The Seven Sisters" (one of whom, according to tradition, is invisible - hence only six stars in the Subaru logo). The logo also refers to the six companies that merged to create FHI.

[...]

Subaru was one of the first car brands and even brands in general that focused on the LGBT customer, more specifically: the "L" – and that was also very special.

Lesbian affinity for Subaru is a popular joke: just like wearing Birkenstocks — it's the subject of Saturday Night Live sketches and self-mockery jokes about lesbian stereotypes.

International tennis legend Navratilova was embraced by Subaru of America after the company began courting the lesbian market in 1996. A TV campaign features Martina among other female athletes in the "What Do I Know?" theme. The spot includes golfers Juli Inkster, Meg Mallon and Olympic skier Diann Roffe-Steinrotter. Each asks, "What do I know" about performance, control, grip, etc. Martina gets the last word in, asking "What do we know? We're just girls." 

I never believed it. I thought it was some type of anti-marketing ploy by Subaru competitors.

But one day I got invited to a fund raiser by a lesbian friend and I was driving up and down the street trying to find the address. When I spied a whole gaggle of Subarus in front of a house. Hmmm... I look around for the house number and it was it!

Even through they are stereotypes, sometimes it does fit.