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 The usual spirit of jubilation and joy that Pride brings has been replaced by a more somber tone - namely, righteous, justifiable anger and activism.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. With the Australian government securing copyright over the Aboriginal Flag, one can only hope it won't be long until Thomas' iconic design takes its place in emoji's 'Flags of the World'.I started as a senior designer at Bustle four years ago, in the summer of 2016. It represents my people and it’s something I’ll be fighting for, for the rest of my life.” “I’m over the moon the flag is now finally free. I’ve displayed it proudly in every single place I’ve lived since leaving home. “I remember when I graduated year 12, my graduation gift was my own Aboriginal Flag with my name in Wiradjuri on it. “Whenever I think of who I am and what I’m fighting for, the flag is always in the front of my mind,” he said. With a deep sense of pride in the Aboriginal Flag, Mr Murray says it provides him a reminder of who he is and where he comes from. It can also get a little unclear when we use other emojis - having our flag there would make everything much stronger,” he said. It just shows what we’re fighting for, who we’re representing. “I think it’s pretty crucial for all the businesses that now operate through Instagram and social media to have the flag on their page.
Wiradjuri Ngemba physiotherapist, Jye Murray, otherwise known as the Koori Physio, clearly states he is a proud Wiradjuri Ngemba man on both his professional and personal Instagram accounts. Jye Murray with friend Kieren Murray at Parliament House Canberra. Now 268 flags are available in emoji form including the Pride Flag and a pirate flag.īoth the Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag meet the criteria for the emoji library, as both were declared as official national flags in 1995 and have international recognition. Their introduction was prompted by a proposal that acknowledged the flags' official status and international recognition, and also pushed for the inclusion of non-country coded flags. Two-years later, Unicode introduced the flags of the United Kingdom: England, Wales and Scotland. The 208 flags available were from nations with internationally recognised two-letter country codes
In 2015, California-based technology company and emoji-creators Unicode introduced the iOS9 update ‘Flags of the World’. With the Flag freely available for use, the push now turns to getting an official Aboriginal Flag emoji. The Aboriginal Flag can now be reproduced without permission paying a fee after negotiations with Luritja artist Harold Thomas.