Our emojis, ourselves: Why activists want new icons added

Love them or hate them, emojis are here to stay — and while there are already over 3,500 of them, some see a need for many, many more ahead of World Emoji Day on July 17.

During this year’s Pride Month, Adalberto Robles wasn’t at a loss for words — instead, they were at a loss for emojis. Robles, 34, a customer service representative from Phoenix, Arizona in the United States who uses both he/him and they/theirs pronouns, had the pride flag and trans pride flag emojis available. But what they wanted was a progress LGBTQ pride flag, a 2018 redesign of the traditional rainbow pride flag with a chevron symbol with black, brown, pink, white and blue stripes. The flag was created by Portland, Oregon-based designer Daniel Quasar as a nod to Black and brown people, as well as people who identify as trans.