Instagram announces updates and festival for Pride Month

Instagram has launched a new sticker pack, rainbow gradient hashtags, and rainbow gradient story ring, also announcing a partnership with The Queer Muslim Project, to present the second edition of the Digital Pride Festival.

Updated features from Instagram for Pride Month

● New LGBTQ+ Sticker Pack: Created by LGBTQIA+ artists from the global community, the platform is expanding the Pride Stories stickers for a visual celebration of our LGBTQIA+ community. Once placed on a photo or video, tap on the sticker to reveal further designs. This sticker pack is also representative of gender non-conforming, asexual, trans, and gender-fluid.

● Rainbow hashtags and Story ring: Instagram partnered with their policy partner, GLAAD, to update the 2020 list of prominent hashtags—such as #genderfluid, #pridefamily, and #gayvisibility—used throughout the LGBTQIA+ community. When used in a Feed or Stories post, these hashtags will be displayed in a rainbow gradient. Additionally, when a user uses one of these hashtags in a Story, their Story ring will turn rainbow while the photo or video is live for 24 hours.

Instagram X The Queer Muslim Project

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The Queer Muslim Project (TQMP) conceived the Digital Pride Festival in 2020 to virtually celebrate LGBTQIA+ rights, take digital actions, and demonstrate allyship. Now in 2021, Instagram has partnered with the community for the second edition of the festival, with the aim of inspiring creativity, self-care, well-being and connectedness during the pandemic.

The festival will proceed between June 11-June 27. It will consist of 5 segments, including creator panels, performances, panels on online safety, mental health, and a masterclass on new tools of expression such as Reels. Some of the speakers include filmmaker Zoya Akhtar, illustrator and designer Sonaksha, creator Roshini Kumar, mental health advocate and the co-founder of Yuvaa, Nikhil Taneja, and more. Two of the events will also be co-presented by the British Council.

Rafiul Alom Rahman, Founder, and Executive Director, The Queer Muslim Project said, ‘’Digital Pride Festival 2.0 is a celebration of love, equality, and freedom in these times of a global pandemic. With our tag #PrideAtHome, we honour contemporary LGBTQIA+ art and artists for all they offer to us within the comforts of our homes. Together with Instagram, we have scaled the festival this year and included an array of creator voices from the community as well as celebrated names such as filmmaker, Zoya Akhtar. The festival will promote safety and care online and build transformative conversations on representation, visibility, and well-being of LGBTQIA+ persons - all the while showcasing the beauty and power of Queer art, storytelling, and culture and community through the month of June.”

Tara Bedi, Public Policy and Community Outreach Manager, Instagram, India, said, "Through these difficult times, we've seen our community use Instagram in incredible ways as a space for connection, support, and community action. The Digital Pride Festival with TQMP will include conversations to address safety, well-being, allyship, but most importantly, represent and amplify the voices of diverse, immensely talented LGBTQIA+ creators and activists, and help us continue our journey to make Instagram more inclusive. We’re also updating some of our favorite creative tools and releasing new features that colorfully highlight LGBTQIA+ expression across Feed and Stories.”