Support for the LGBTQ+ community has grown a lot over the past few years, and this is being reflected across several social apps and platforms. Pinterest joins Instagram, Reddit, and Slack in adding a dedicated field for a user’s pronouns.
Pinterest Adds New Pronouns Field to Its Profiles
Pinterest announced via Newsroom post that over the coming weeks, it’ll be rolling out a new update that will allow you to self-select your pronouns to add to your Pinterest profile. They’ll appear right next to your user name.
“Pinterest’s mission is to provide everyone with the inspiration to create a life they love. And we know it’s easier to feel inspired when you feel properly represented,” the post reads.
The addition of the new profile field is only the beginning of Pinterest’s Pride Month campaign, which is called “Show Your True Colors.” It’ll highlight Pinterest’s LGBTQ+ users and creators throughout the month of June.
The campaign also includes the release of a digital film with the same name, featuring six LGBTQ+ individuals that share their stories of identity and self-expression. According to the video’s description on YouTube, it was directed by Mollie Mills and produced by Platform 13.
Pinterest’s website and app are changing a little bit, too. The company says more content from creators from the LGBTQ+ community and allies will show up in the Today tab.
What’s more, the search bar now behaves a little differently in select countries (US, Canada, France, DACH, Spain, Italy, Japan, and all of Latin America). When searching for terms related to “Pride” on Pinterest, suggested searches will appear in the colors of the rainbow.
The pronouns field is likely a permanent addition to profiles, while the Today tab features and search bar effects will presumably only last until the end of June. Coincidentally, that’s also when Pinterest will stop taking applications for its creator support program.
LGBTQ+ Support On Social Media
The internet has connected a lot of LGBT+ people that never would have met otherwise. After all, queer relationships are not yet fully accepted around the world, so it can be hard to meet such people in-person.
For instance, Tumblr has dubbed itself “The Queerest Place on the Internet,” as it’s widely-known for being an online safe space for LGBT+ netizens. And for the longest time, it was the only major platform that strongly and openly support that community.
That isn’t the case anymore, though! Instagram now lets you put your pronouns on your profile, and Slack lets you put your pronouns under your job title.
These are steps—albeit small ones—towards educating the masses about the gender and sexuality spectrums. We hope to see social media (and the rest of the internet, really) continue down this path.