Adding RAINBOW FLAG to Unicode

[Mark Davis ☕️]

Nothing really needs to be added to Unicode; vendors could already use:

��‍��
U+1F3F3, U+200D, U+1F308
WAVING WHITE FLAG, ZERO WIDTH JOINER, RAINBOW

credit to Shervin for the idea



Mark <https://google.com/+MarkDavis>

*— Il meglio è l’inimico del bene —*

On Sat, Jun 27, 2015 at 7:26 PM, Noah Slater <nslater at tumbolia.org> wrote:

> Hello!
>
> It is Pride Month and the US just legalised queer marriage in every state.
> No better time to start a conversation about including the internationally
> recognised rainbow flag in Unicode!
>
> Here’s some background reading on the flag itself:
>
> *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_flag_(LGBT_movement)
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_flag_(LGBT_movement)>*
>
> Here's Bustle on the inclusion of the rainbow flag:
>
> > Nearly 40 years after it was first flown, the rainbow flag remains a
> powerful and potent symbol of not only current gay rights struggles, but
> the history of gay rights in America. So why isn’t it available as an
> emoji? The flag is in the public domain, so it certainly isn’t being held
> up by copyright issues. And the current range of rainbow-related emoji show
> that the technology to jam all those colors distinctly into a very tiny
> space is available. Numerous national flags have been emojified. And given
> that the flag has recently been added to the Museum of Modern Art’s design
> collection, everyone is in agreement about its ongoing cultural
> significance. So what gives?
>
>
> http://www.bustle.com/articles/93227-wheres-the-rainbow-pride-flag-emoji-why-the-iconic-gay-rights-symbol-should-be-on-our
>
> This article also includes an example (via screenshot) of how many people
> “make do” without the rainbow flag. Typically, they use U+1F308 RAINBOW.
> This can be seen by searching on Twitter (or any other social media
> platform) for that character.
>
> Indeed, GitHub uses RAINBOW for this:
>
> http://i.imgur.com/KaKQzIC.png
>
> Facebook did the same sort of thing, as seen here:
>
> http://mashable.com/2013/06/27/facebook-rainbow-pride-emoji-doma/
>
> They also did this:
>
>
> http://www.newnownext.com/facebook-adds-lgbt-emojis-for-pride-month/06/2014/
>
> These emojis are *derivative* of the rainbow flag, or include characters
> displaying the rainbow flag.
>
> While it can be argued that the RAINBOW emoji itself is usable as a
> stand-in (as above), it usually requires some sort of additional context to
> work. There is a clear need for a rainbow flag that unambiguously
> symbolises queer pride.
>
> This is already going on, with some platforms choosing to use a custom
> emoji shim where no Unicode code-point exists.
>
> This is Twitter’s rainbow flag:
>
> https://twitter.com/ericajoy/status/614822988609794048
>
> Screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/1kewdN1.png
>
> Slack has one too:
>
> https://twitter.com/SlackHQ/status/602779337784430592
>
> Screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/8cOK8MH.png
>
> Reddit also offers one:
>
> http://www.reddit.com/r/bisexual/comments/2lc2rc/can_you_see_the_emoji/
>
> Screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/p6YDRkF.png
>
> In all three examples, the symbol is being used in running text.
>
> I found this:
>
> > [...] the UTC does not wish to entertain further proposals for encoding
> of symbol characters for flags, whether national, state, regional,
> international, or otherwise. References to UTC Minutes: [134-C2], January
> 28, 2013.
>
> http://www.unicode.org/alloc/nonapprovals.html
>
> I looked up the minutes, but could not find a more detailed explanation.
> My guess is that these concerns related to geopolitical issues. Hopefully
> the same rationale does not apply to the rainbow flag.
>
> Looking at:
>
> http://unicode.org/reports/tr51/#Selection_Factors
>
> Here's a quick list of summary answers:
>
> a. Compatibility: yes. There are existing platform-specific rainbow flag
> emojis, as demonstrated above. To build a Twitter or Slack client that
> replicated the native functionality, you would have to use an image instead
> of a Unicode code point.
>
> b. Expected usage level: the rainbow emoji is listed at #168 on
> emojitracker.com, and as demonstrated, the rainbow flag has been in wide
> use since the 1970s.
>
> c. Image distinctiveness: the rainbow flag is visually distinct.
>
> d. Disparity: the rainbow flag is a missing flag.
>
> e. Frequently requested: unsure. I could organise a petition if this would
> help to sway the decision.
>
> f. Generality: the rainbow flag is not overly specific. Indeed it is the
> most general of all the pride flags.
>
> g. Open-ended: the rainbow flag is open ended, being the most general of
> all the pride flags. (Wikipedia lists 18 pride flags on the LGBT symbols
> page, but there are many more in the wild.)
>
> h. Representable already: a rainbow can be represented, but it is
> ambiguous. The RAINBOW emoji cannot be combined with anything pictorial
> that makes the meaning clear. Context is required, such as paring it with
> the word "pride".
>
> i. Logos, Brands, UI icons, signage, specific people, deities: the image
> is suitable for for encoding as a character.
>
> What is the best thing for me to do next?
>
> My proposal is that we add RAINBOW FLAG to Unicode, and that we use the
> “six-color version popular since 1979”.
>
> I only found one official proposal for a single emoji:
>
> http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2014/14298-whisky-emoji.pdf
>
> I couldn’t find any templates for proposals, though I did look through a
> number of different examples.
>
> I noticed that a number of them include the ISO/IEC form at the end. Can
> someone explain that to me? Does it make sense to submit a proposal to the
> UTC without one of these?
>
> I also notice that it looks like I have to provide (or find a person to
> provide) a font for the character. Is there any guidance on that? I am
> happy to pay someone to prepare such a thing for me.
>
> Thank you in advance for your help.
>
> Noah Slater
>
>
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