Because of Lack of Inclusivity, There Will Soon Be a Pregnant Man Emoji

Most people will agree that inclusivity is an important issue. If you’ve ever been a part of a group that has experienced exclusion, you are particularly tuned into situations where people are excluded. According to a report by The Guardian, more emojis will soon be released that include some much-needed upgrades. For example, a face that can’t bear to watch will be added to devices in the coming year, and there will be some multiracial handshakes. However, one of the most controversial emojis that will be introduced is a pregnant man emoji. According to the website Emojipedia, it’s something that’s going to happen.

A draft list has been published by the Unicode Consortium, the organization that approves emojis and icons for use by devices and websites. The new emojis were illustrated by Emojipedia in celebration of World Emoji Day in July, and the consortium is interested in offering feminine, masculine, and gender-neutral versions of every emoji that’s available, along with several different skin tones. For example, we already have a prince and princess, but now we are going to get a “person with crown,” which will be good for people who don’t identify as male or female. The bearded man will also get a bearded person.

In short, nearly all emojis will have a gender-neutral option that people can choose. We also love the new emoji that shows hands in different skin tones making the heart shape, and a few others such as a “peeking eye,” and an emoji that shows someone holding back tears. The new saluting emoji will probably be super popular as well. As for the pregnant man emoji, there is even a Change.org petition supporting it.

While most people probably aren’t moved one way or another by which emojis are being released, some folks do find a reason to object to just about anything. The way I see it, the more emojis we have, the better.