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Trans and gender-inclusive options among list of new emoji for 2020

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Image courtesy Emojipedia.

Believe it or not, there is a governing body in charge of emoji – and they’ve announced that several gender-inclusive new ones will be among more than a hundred additions showing up on your phones in 2020.

The Unicode Consortium this week announced the release of Emoji 13.0, and with it, 117 new emoji. The expansion features 62 brand-new emoji, as well as 55 new gender and skin-tone variants, many of which are gender-inclusive. One particularly notable addition is a new transgender flag emoji, created from a proposal co-sponsored by Google and Microsoft.

Among other new emoji are a new smiling face with a tear, the two people hugging, a pinched finger “Italian hand gesture,” a disguised face, and numerous additions to the animal, food, and object categories.

Tech giant Google sponsored five of this year’s new emoji, with several of the more inclusive options among them, such as a person in veil and person in tuxedo emoji, and a range of skin-tone variants which now include people who present as male, female, and non-binary – including a gender-neutral Santa Claus.

Image courtesy Emojipedia.

The new crop of emoji refects a trend over recent years toward more inclusive and representative options. 2019 additions included a hearing aid, a wheelchair, a prosthetic arm, and a seeing-eye dog, as well as a gender-neutral couple and an increased number of skin tone options.

In addition, this year’s emojis also feature an increased focus on empathy, with new Google-suggested emoji depicting two people hugging and a slightly smiling face with tear (a response to user requests for an emoji which expresses both appreciation and relief).

Among other new emoji selections are a ninja, a black cat, a wooly mammoth, a polar bear, a dodo, bubble tea, blueberries, an olive, a tamale, a teapot, a piñata, a boomerang, a mousetrap, a headstone, and an anatomical heart and lungs.

You can watch a video introducing the new emoji below.

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PHOTOS: The Audacity Brunch

2026 Capital Pride Honors presented at ‘Full Fuchsia’ ceremony

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The 2026 Capital Pride Honors were presented at The Audacity Brunch: In Full Fuchsia on Sunday, June 7. (Washington Blade photo by Landon Shackelford)

The Capital Pride Alliance presented the 2026 Capital Pride Honors at “The Audacity Brunch: In Full Fuchsia” at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 7.

(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)

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Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves

Daylong Pride celebration blends history, remembrance, art and community

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(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Historic Congressional Cemetery will host the second annual “Gays & Graves: A Big Gay Festival” on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.

The event will feature pioneering activist Randy Wicker, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, and new public art installations and programs celebrating LGBTQ+ history. Gays & Graves is an official partner event of Capital Pride 2026.

This event is a daylong Pride celebration blending history, remembrance, art and community. Visitors can shop from LGBTQ+ and allied artists and makers, experience performances and interactive installations, and engage with programs exploring LGBTQ+ history and lived experience.

For more details, visit the cemetery’s website

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Baltimore Pride is here

Parade, block party, festival planned for Maryland city

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A scene from last year’s Baltimore Pride. This year’s main events take place on Saturday and Sunday. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Baltimore Pride is underway, taking place from June 8-14.

The Pride Parade will be on Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m. at Charles Street & North Avenue, followed by the Pride Block Party at 1 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. And then the Pride Festival will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. at Druid Hill Park.

There will be an array of additional events including: a fashion show, a “Suits and Sneakers” reception and a 5k race, among many other events. 

For more details, visit Baltimore Pride’s website

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