Take a look at http://unicode.org/reports/tr51/ for details.
Mark <https://google.com/+MarkDavis> *— Il meglio è l’inimico del bene —* On Sat, Jun 27, 2015 at 9:12 PM, Noah Slater <[email protected]> wrote: > Mark, are there any other instances of a ZERO WIDTH JOINER being used in > this way? (i.e. Outside of its intended use with Arabic and Indic scripts, > etc.) Please excuse my ignorance. > > On 27 June 2015 at 20:06, Mark Davis [image: ☕]️ <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> Nothing really needs to be added to Unicode; vendors could already use: >> >> 🏳[image: 🌈] >> U+1F3F3, U+200D, U+1F308 >> WAVING WHITE FLAG, ZERO WIDTH JOINER, RAINBOW >> >> credit to Shervin for the idea >> >> >> >> Mark <https://google.com/+MarkDavis> >> >> *— Il meglio è l’inimico del bene —* >> >> On Sat, Jun 27, 2015 at 7:26 PM, Noah Slater <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> Hello! >>> >>> It is Pride Month and the US just legalised queer marriage in every >>> state. No better time to start a conversation about including the >>> internationally recognised rainbow flag in Unicode! >>> >>> Here’s some background reading on the flag itself: >>> >>> *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_flag_(LGBT_movement) >>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_flag_(LGBT_movement)>* >>> >>> Here's Bustle on the inclusion of the rainbow flag: >>> >>> > Nearly 40 years after it was first flown, the rainbow flag remains a >>> powerful and potent symbol of not only current gay rights struggles, but >>> the history of gay rights in America. So why isn’t it available as an >>> emoji? The flag is in the public domain, so it certainly isn’t being held >>> up by copyright issues. And the current range of rainbow-related emoji show >>> that the technology to jam all those colors distinctly into a very tiny >>> space is available. Numerous national flags have been emojified. And given >>> that the flag has recently been added to the Museum of Modern Art’s design >>> collection, everyone is in agreement about its ongoing cultural >>> significance. So what gives? >>> >>> >>> http://www.bustle.com/articles/93227-wheres-the-rainbow-pride-flag-emoji-why-the-iconic-gay-rights-symbol-should-be-on-our >>> >>> This article also includes an example (via screenshot) of how many >>> people “make do” without the rainbow flag. Typically, they use U+1F308 >>> RAINBOW. This can be seen by searching on Twitter (or any other social >>> media platform) for that character. >>> >>> Indeed, GitHub uses RAINBOW for this: >>> >>> http://i.imgur.com/KaKQzIC.png >>> >>> Facebook did the same sort of thing, as seen here: >>> >>> http://mashable.com/2013/06/27/facebook-rainbow-pride-emoji-doma/ >>> >>> They also did this: >>> >>> >>> http://www.newnownext.com/facebook-adds-lgbt-emojis-for-pride-month/06/2014/ >>> >>> These emojis are *derivative* of the rainbow flag, or include characters >>> displaying the rainbow flag. >>> >>> While it can be argued that the RAINBOW emoji itself is usable as a >>> stand-in (as above), it usually requires some sort of additional context to >>> work. There is a clear need for a rainbow flag that unambiguously >>> symbolises queer pride. >>> >>> This is already going on, with some platforms choosing to use a custom >>> emoji shim where no Unicode code-point exists. >>> >>> This is Twitter’s rainbow flag: >>> >>> https://twitter.com/ericajoy/status/614822988609794048 >>> >>> Screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/1kewdN1.png >>> >>> Slack has one too: >>> >>> https://twitter.com/SlackHQ/status/602779337784430592 >>> >>> Screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/8cOK8MH.png >>> >>> Reddit also offers one: >>> >>> http://www.reddit.com/r/bisexual/comments/2lc2rc/can_you_see_the_emoji/ >>> >>> Screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/p6YDRkF.png >>> >>> In all three examples, the symbol is being used in running text. >>> >>> I found this: >>> >>> > [...] the UTC does not wish to entertain further proposals for >>> encoding of symbol characters for flags, whether national, state, regional, >>> international, or otherwise. References to UTC Minutes: [134-C2], January >>> 28, 2013. >>> >>> http://www.unicode.org/alloc/nonapprovals.html >>> >>> I looked up the minutes, but could not find a more detailed explanation. >>> My guess is that these concerns related to geopolitical issues. Hopefully >>> the same rationale does not apply to the rainbow flag. >>> >>> Looking at: >>> >>> http://unicode.org/reports/tr51/#Selection_Factors >>> >>> Here's a quick list of summary answers: >>> >>> a. Compatibility: yes. There are existing platform-specific rainbow flag >>> emojis, as demonstrated above. To build a Twitter or Slack client that >>> replicated the native functionality, you would have to use an image instead >>> of a Unicode code point. >>> >>> b. Expected usage level: the rainbow emoji is listed at #168 on >>> emojitracker.com, and as demonstrated, the rainbow flag has been in >>> wide use since the 1970s. >>> >>> c. Image distinctiveness: the rainbow flag is visually distinct. >>> >>> d. Disparity: the rainbow flag is a missing flag. >>> >>> e. Frequently requested: unsure. I could organise a petition if this >>> would help to sway the decision. >>> >>> f. Generality: the rainbow flag is not overly specific. Indeed it is the >>> most general of all the pride flags. >>> >>> g. Open-ended: the rainbow flag is open ended, being the most general of >>> all the pride flags. (Wikipedia lists 18 pride flags on the LGBT symbols >>> page, but there are many more in the wild.) >>> >>> h. Representable already: a rainbow can be represented, but it is >>> ambiguous. The RAINBOW emoji cannot be combined with anything pictorial >>> that makes the meaning clear. Context is required, such as paring it with >>> the word "pride". >>> >>> i. Logos, Brands, UI icons, signage, specific people, deities: the image >>> is suitable for for encoding as a character. >>> >>> What is the best thing for me to do next? >>> >>> My proposal is that we add RAINBOW FLAG to Unicode, and that we use the >>> “six-color version popular since 1979”. >>> >>> I only found one official proposal for a single emoji: >>> >>> http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2014/14298-whisky-emoji.pdf >>> >>> I couldn’t find any templates for proposals, though I did look through a >>> number of different examples. >>> >>> I noticed that a number of them include the ISO/IEC form at the end. Can >>> someone explain that to me? Does it make sense to submit a proposal to the >>> UTC without one of these? >>> >>> I also notice that it looks like I have to provide (or find a person to >>> provide) a font for the character. Is there any guidance on that? I am >>> happy to pay someone to prepare such a thing for me. >>> >>> Thank you in advance for your help. >>> >>> Noah Slater >>> >>> >> >
