The Unicode Consortium, the organisation determining which emojis are used worldwide, has updated its list to pay extra attention to gender-inclusive symbols in 2020.
The organisation received some criticism in 2019, mainly for not having an emoji of the transgender pride flag (blue, pink and white horizontal stripes), reports VRT. The final list for 2020 not only has the transgender flag on it, but also pays extra attention to gender-inclusivity in its emojis.
Of the 117 added emojis, 55 are new variants of existing ones. From now on, there will be a woman in a tuxedo as well as a man wearing a (bridal) veil. An ungendered Santa, a man feeding a baby, and gender-neutral versions of some other emojis have also been added.
The 62 other emojis are completely new, and include a polar bear, a piñata, a pickup truck, a plunger, and bubble tea. The whole list can be found here.
Manufacturers will now be able to create their own versions of the new emojis from the Unicode Consortium's list.
The new emojis will presumably become available on smartphones when Apple and Google update their operating systems, which usually happens in September or October.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
