The “purple hand” was an early symbol of the gay liberation movement and an effort to show resilience in the face of anti-gay attacks. The term originates from Oct 31st 1969 when activists protested the San Francisco Examiner’s series of anti-gay articles by protesting in front of the building. Employees of the newspaper dumped purple ink on the peaceful protesters. The activists used the ink to draw slogans on the building and to make a visible mark of gay uprising.