This Pride Month, Meta says that it is celebrating the LGBTQ+ communities who are shaping culture and influencing how gender identity is expressed across technologies.

Meta says that it recognises that while members of the LGBTQIA+ continue to build a new reality, many of them do so while facing historic, personal and political hurdles.

According to Meta, it aims to use this month as a moment to celebrate those who have had to fight to explore multitudes of identities and, in doing so, is pushing the community's shared culture forward.

Elevating the LGBTQ+ community in immersive experiences
Meta says that it is building out a custom experience in Horizon Worlds while hosting a candid conversation with an exclusive group of community leaders as it builds toward a more equitable metaverse. 

Individuals can watch on Meta Quest the newest episode of Weird Times, which explores the experience of coming out as a teen in the current political climate when LGBTQ+ rights are under attack. 

In Horizon Venues, individuals can watch March for Dignity on Thursday, 2 June a documentary that follows a small group of LGBTQ+ activists in Tbilisi, Georgia as they attempt to conduct the first Pride march in the country.

Launching new expression tools and resources for LGBTQ+ people
During this month individuals can use Pride-themed avatars and stickers in Feed and on Stories on Facebook and Messenger. They will be available year-round.

To help the community celebrate, Meta is also launching three new stickers on Instagram.

These new stickers were developed in partnership with Shane'e Benjamin, a lesbian illustrator and art director based in Brooklyn New York. It says that the work with Meta has been inspired by:
  • bold colours
  • Black joy, and
  • the vibrancy of their hometown.
Meta has also partnered with non-binary, London-based artist and creator Wednesday Holmes to launch a set of new Camera Stickers (along with an in-thread sticker pack) rolling out later in June. The new stickers aim to encourage people to '#ConnectwithPride' and start conversations that elevate the LGBTQIA+ community.  

In addition to stickers, Meta is also launching Rainbow hashtags. Meta has partnered with GLAAD to update its 2021 list of popular hashtags — such as '#genderfluid', '#pridefamily' and '#gayvisibility' — used throughout the LGBTQ+ community.

When used in a Feed or Story post, these hashtags will be displayed in a rainbow gradient. Additionally, when individuals use one of these hashtags in a Story, their Story ring will turn rainbow while the photo or video is live for 24 hours.

Meta says that to further support the LGBTQIA+ community, it will unveil a new LGBTQ+ Safety Center Hub on Facebook. This is to provide easy access to the information and resources Meta has in place to help the community feel safe using its technologies. 

Whether it is guidebooks to improve account security or tools to prevent bullying and harassment, the LGBTQ+ Safety Center Hub aims to house the tools for creating a safer experience online.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com.