Among the new set of emojis that will be rolled out this October are gender-neutral options for couples, according to emoji designers the Unicode Consortium.
Previously, emojis with couples were identified by their gender. The new emojis are listed as “people holding hands” and will be a part of the family category along with 230 other new emojis.
The new emojis will be available in 16 different combinations of skin tone. This move to include nonbinary and genderqueer couples comes after the first gender-neutral emojis were revealed in 2017.
The October emoji rollout will also include a variety of disability and access emojis, including a people using wheelchairs, people using white canes, a prosthetic arm and guide dogs.
There still hasn’t been an emoji update that includes a transgender flag—and the bisexual, lesbian, pansexual and asexual flags have also historically been left out. The rainbow Pride flag is the only LGBTQ+ flag currently available. Many people have called for the creation of a trans flag emoji, but it hasn’t been officially approved.
The new inclusive couple emojis are a positive step forward that respects genderqueer people not just as individuals but as a central part of couples, families and communities.
