Facebook releases free Pride-themed sticker set
Facebook has released a free range of LGBT-themed sticker emoticons, featuring various gay symbols, same-sex couples and families.
The ‘Pride’ pack of 28 emoticons – which can be used in Facebook Messenger chats – features everything from a lesbian couple raising two children, to people marching with a rainbow banner.
The description for the set simply says: “Love is universal”.
A Facebook Diversity spokesperson said: “We’re celebrating Pride by adding these free Facebook Messenger stickers to the Sticker Store. We see this as one more way we can make Facebook a place where people can express their authentic identity. Happy Pride!”
The sticker pack can be installed for free through the Facebook emoticon menu.
Some have noted that one of the stickers bears resemblance to drag artist RuPaul, who is currently embroiled in a row about the use of transphobic slurs.
RuPaul said earlier this month: “Don’t you dare tell me what I can do or say. It’s just words. You know what? Bitch, you need to get stronger.”
Facebook won praise earlier this year when it introduced custom gender options, allowing for people to choose from a list of over 50 possible gender variations, as well as independently selecting their pronouns.
The feature has since been updated to include the option to suggest more gender options, if a preferred one isn’t available.
Trans Facebook software engineer Brielle Harrison said at the time: “There’s going to be a lot of people for whom this is going to mean nothing, but for the few it does impact, it means the world.
“All too often transgender people like myself and other gender nonconforming people are given this binary option, do you want to be male or female? What is your gender?
“And it’s kind of disheartening because none of those let us tell others who we really are. This really changes that, and for the first time I get to go to the site and specify to all the people I know what my gender is.”
