Apple unveiled over 100 new “gender diverse” emojis Monday, but there’s one in particular that stands out for us.
A rainbow flag emoji for LGBT pride will be featured as part of Apple’s iOS 10 operating software, which will debut this fall. The flag joins a lineup that includes more female athletes and professionals as well as images for single-parent families. Meanwhile, a revolver firearm will be replaced with a colorful water pistol.
The company is working “closely with the Unicode Consortium to ensure that popular emoji characters reflect the diversity of people everywhere,” officials said in a statement on Apple’s website.
The pride-themed update is particularly fitting as Apple has been outspoken in its support for the LGBT community for some time. The company was one of only 13 to earn a percent score on the Human Rights Campaign’s first Corporate Equality Index, which is a benchmarking tool for LGBT workplace equality. It has maintained a perfect score ever since then.
Meanwhile, Apple CEO Tim Cook, who came out as gay in a 2014 Bloomberg Businessweek essay, has recently fought back against anti-LGBT legislation at the state level, including in Indiana and North Carolina.
Thrilled to see Apple making an effort to diversify their emojis to reflect the modern user!
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