While the code used to display a flag might seem like the least interesting part of a flag emoji, understanding these details is essential in determining why these 268 flags specifically exist, and help frame the feasibility of new flags in future. Photo: Jeremy Burge / Emojipedia.įor each flag shown on an average emoji keyboard, there are at least four different ways it might be encoded behind the scenes. How were these 268 determined to be more eligible than any other flags?Ībove: Only 10 country flags were on iPhone in 2008. With calls in recent years for emoji representation of the Aboriginal Australian flag, Transgender flag, Brittany flag, Kurdish flag (and many more) it's worth taking a closer look at the ways that flags can be added to the Unicode Standard, and how that impacts the set of flags available today.Īfter all, Apple's iPhone only included 10 country flag emojis in 2008, and now there are 268. However, the rainbow flag-and its emoji form-is most widely recognized and used as symbol of LGBTQ Pride.As with most things Unicode-related, emoji flags are more complicated than they may first appear.
The Rainbow Flag emoji can also be used to symbolize and show support for these causes. Rainbow flags, past and present, have also been used a symbol for other causes around the world, such as to represent some Indigenous groups in South America.
Historically, rainbow flag have also been used a symbol of peace. In modern times, the rainbow flag is often said to symbolize the diversity within the LGBTQ community. Baker’s original design had eight stripes, but the pink and indigo stripes were gradually removed over time.Īccording to Baker’s website, the eight stripes of the original design of the flag represented sex (pink), life (red), healing (orange), sunlight (yellow), nature (green), magic (blue), serenity (indigo), and spirit (violet). Baker has said that designing the flag was the most important thing he ever did in his life. The flag that the Rainbow Flag emoji ?️? depicts was created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, who was commissioned to design the flag by famous politician and iconic gay rights activist Harvey Milk. How the the rainbow flag became a symbol of LGBTQ Pride The Rainbow Flag emoji ?️? is also often used alongside many other emoji used to represent non- cishet couples such as the Two Men Holding Hands emoji ?, the Kiss: Woman, Woman emoji ?❤️??, and the variations of the Couple with Heart emoji ?. Since its approval in 2020, the Transgender Flag emoji ?️⚧️ has also frequently been used alongside the Rainbow Flag emoji ?️? when a person identifies as a member of-or supports-both communities. The Rainbow emoji ? is still frequently used alongside the Rainbow Flag emoji ?️?. Prior to the addition of the Rainbow Flag emoji ?️?, the Rainbow emoji ? was used (in terms of emoji) to symbolize Pride in reference to the flag. Slater’s proposal gained wide support and the Rainbow Flag emoji ?️? was officially approved in 2016.
Slater referred to the flag as “a powerful and potent symbol of not only current gay rights struggles, but the history of gay rights in America” and provided evidence to the Consortium that the flag had been used to symbolize Gay Pride since the 1970s. On June 27, 2015, Noah Slater sent an email to the Unicode Consortium-the organization that approves new emoji-and requested that they officially add an emoji that depicted a rainbow flag.
The Microsoft version of the emoji depicts the flag attached to a grey flag pole. On Twitter, the flag resembles a rectangle with rounded corners. On most major platforms, the emoji depicts a flag waving in the wind that has, starting from the top, a red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet stripe. The emoji is a combination of the White Flag emoji ?️ and the Rainbow emoji ?. The Rainbow Flag emoji ?️?, also popularly called Pride Flag emoji, was added to Emoji 4.0 in 2016.