Adding RAINBOW FLAG to Unicode

Sat Jun 27 14:29:32 CDT 2015

A zero-width joiner between two spacing symbols does not mean that they
should overlap completely, even if it allows some limtied form of ligature
(but mostly for true letters or letter like symbols, such as between a long
dash and an arrow head to connect them together in a long arrow...)
Your idea would mean that the oiner changes the width of the rainbow to
zero, using in fact a negative placement to overlap the flag, and then
cutting the rainbox exactly to its dimension.

Also the rainbow symbol alone U+1F308 is more like the one in the sky: it
is circular, and has a central uncolored area.
But the flag is means to be fully covered (not like the Jewish autonomous
republic in Russia) and should be using parallel horizontal bands.
If it is encoded the flag will become certainly part of the emoji set (it
certainly has support for it in instant messaging, soon many apps for
mobile phones will feature it in US, Google will include it as well for
Android and Hangouts applications, Apple for iOS. And various IRC tools.

Mobile phone providers will include it even if on such LGBT topic the
Japanese manufacturers were more "discrete" (there's still a social taboo
even if there's some level of acceptation). It is already sent via MMS only
as bitmap icons, but users will want to pay less to send them using SMS, or
to send them in Twitter.

2015-06-27 21:06 GMT+02:00 Mark Davis ☕️ <mark at macchiato.com>:

> Nothing really needs to be added to Unicode; vendors could already use:
>
> ��‍[image: ��]
> 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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