Instagram Adds Rainbow Hashtags and LGBTQIA+ Guide for Pride Month 2020

Despite the cancellation of international Pride Month parades due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Instagram is making sure to spread the celebrations with a number of new features.

Observing the annual month-long event, the social media app is reintroducing rainbow-colored hashtags for words such as #LGBTQ, #BornPerfect, #EqualityMatters, #AccelerateAcceptance and #Pride2020. The rainbow gradient will also appear as the Instagram Stories ring whenever these GLAAD-approved hashtags are used in the story. Additional stickers have also been included in Instagram’s Pride pack, along with brand new Pride-themed AR effects that feature 12 gradients of the LGBTQIA+.

To top things off, Instagram teamed up with the Queer Muslim Project — “a visual art and storytelling to promote sex-positive, affirming and intersectional representations of the communities” — to launch a well-being guide for the LGBTQIA+ community. The guide tackles handling negativity and difficulties in this very dynamic social media landscape, offering resources to younger members who are experiencing anxiety or isolation. “Especially during Covid-19, we want to help the community celebrate virtually, find support online, and stay connected with the people they love,” Tara Bedi, Public Policy and Community Outreach Manager for Instagram India, said in a statement.

In related news, Nickelodeon announced SpongeBob SquarePants as a member of the LGBTQ community.