After all, the first pride was a riot, started by Black and Latinx trans women, like Marsha P. This year Pride is not a celebration but a fight, and it feels appropriate. Millions of people are taking to the streets to protest in memory of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the hundreds of other Black people that have been killed by police across the country and world. The usual spirit of jubilation and joy that Pride brings has been replaced by a more somber tone - namely, righteous, justifiable anger and activism. Defending these rights also brought many of us a greater understanding of all of the different ways these fights overlapped.įour years later, Pride month feels very different in America and across the world. With the election of President Trump - and the support of the divisive rhetoric that came with his platform-came four more years of fighting for trans rights, gay rights, the rights of the Black community, Indigenous people, and non-Black people of color.
Unbeknownst to me and the rest of the world, the next four years would bring seismic shifts to the way spoke about LGBTQ rights and the way they intersect with other disenfranchised communities. Four years ago, I acknowledged that although focusing on emojis as activism may seem silly, representation is important, and I still hold that to be true. I designed several new emojis based on my knowledge of queer history. The country was still in mourning following the horrific Pulse night club shooting in Orlando, Florida, a city I had lived in for eight years prior to moving to New York, and I wanted to do anything I could to help with LGBTQ representation. The Rainbow flag emoji was only added in 2016. I decided, with the support and encouragement of the editors, to write a piece for Pride month about the then-lack of inclusion of LGBTQ emojis on the iPhone. I was immediately taken by the actions of my peers and wanted to get involved. It was my first job in media, and I was immediately impressed by the level of political and social involvement displayed by my new colleagues - even then, Bustle’s writers and editors were using Bustle’s huge audience and platform to publish messages of diversity and inclusion. Apple, if you’re listening, keep the LGBTQ+ representation coming.I started as a senior designer at Bustle four years ago, in the summer of 2016.
Just imagine how beautiful it would be! It might be a long way off, but hey, a gay can dream. Bi Pride, asexual Pride, genderqueer Pride, intersex Pride, pansexual Pride, non-binary Pride, aromantic, agender, genderfluid, and even the Philly Pride flag! Next up on our wish list? More flags! We want to see the lesbian Pride flag, the Pride flag for gay men.
Related | Trolls Raid LGBTQ Instagram Accounts With Antigay Emoji If you have the update, this also includes a gender-neutral Mx. Now you can find the transgender symbol, a man in a wedding dress, and a woman in a tuxedo. Thankfully Apple has finally released the coveted Trans Pride flag emoji, along with some fun new LGBTQ+ adjacent emojis. Particularly gender-inclusive representation. As for their needs, queer people need more representation. Only two-thirds of GenZ identify as heterosexual, and 35% know someone who uses gender-neutral “they/them” pronouns. Those people are increasingly identifying as queer. Related | Facebook and Instagram Censor Suggestive Emojis It adapts to the needs of the people who use it. Like any language, the longer it’s around the more complex and multi-layered it becomes. What are emoji’s if not a pseudo-language we use to communicate complex ideas? I know this is riding dangerously close to the “Webster’s dictionary defines the word ‘emoji’ as,” narrative, but it’s true. Comments Apple iOS 14.2 came with over 100 new emojis.