Gender neutral couple emojis are coming to your phones
Gender neutral couples will now be represented as emojis, just like same-sex couples (Unicode Consortium)
Gender-inclusive emojis for couples who both don’t define as male or female are about to be a reality.
The emojis for non-binary partners will be available in 16 different combinations of skin tone and are set to be rolled out by October this year, according to emoji creators the Unicode Consortium.
They are listed as “people holding hands,” and will be seen in the family category with the rest of the 230 new emojis, which were revealed on Tuesday (February 5).
The move comes after gender neutral emojis were unveiled in 2017.
The latest rollout of emojis also includes various images representing disabled people, such as blind people using white canes, people in wheelchairs and guide dogs.
A transgender flag emoji is still nowhere to be seen
The new white heart emoji will please anyone who likes using emojis to represent the transgender flag—but it won’t satisfy people who have long called for a transgender flag emoji.
Despite users now being able to choose from thousands of emojis, the trans flag has never been officially approved for creation.
There is still no trans flag emoji. (ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty)
In the Unicode Consortium’s sixth major emoji update since 2014, it’s still not present. The bisexual, lesbian, pansexual and asexual flags have also been left out.
The new emojis include a sloth, skunk, mechanical arm, ice cube, yo-yo and banjo, as well as a drop of blood—but still no LGBT+ flag emojis apart from the Pride flag.
Emojis have been used as code for drug sales on Grindr
A report in August found that Grindr, the world’s largest gay dating app, was being used for the sale of illicit drugs.
NBC News uncovered a world of secret languages and codes used to conceal the activity.
One dealer, identified only as Mike, said he used Grindr as it gave him “more clientele” than he “would normally get on the street” and that the app was safer, as he didn’t have to worry about bumping into other dealers.
The diamond emoji was reportedly used to refer to crystal meth and the snowflake symbol was used to attract the attention of people wanting to buy cocaine.
Apps are “making it easier for people” to buy drugs.
— National Association of LGBT Addiction Professionals president Phil McCabe
Some Grindr users feature the capital letter T in their profiles, which refers to the street name for meth, Tina.
Phil McCabe, a social worker and president of the National Association of LGBT Addiction Professionals, told NBC he believed the situation had escalated in recent years.
He said he had been messaged by someone offering “parTy favours” and said apps were “making it easier for people” to buy drugs.
