Here at Meta, we’re celebrating Pride month in June and spotlighting LGBTQIA+ communities in Thailand and around the world who are shaping culture and inspiring others to be their real, authentic selves online. As part of our company vision, we remain dedicated to making our platforms a safe place to forge meaningful connections, discover communities, and champion inclusivity and self-expression.
In Meta Foresight’s Culture Rising 2023 trends report, people around the world ranked various elements like their gender, heritage, ethnicity, nationality and sexual orientation as being of near equal importance in how they see themselves. The report also noted that 1 in 3 people surveyed agreed that traditional gender roles are less and less relevant, and 62% agree that the world is growing more inclusive for LGBTQIA+ individuals. [Source: Meta Foresight Culture Rising 2023 Trends Report]
We’ve seen and heard some truly inspiring stories this Pride month that we want to share with you all. So let’s take a look at what Meta and Thailand have been doing for Pride in 2023 as well as cover some fun features on our platforms that everyone can use to celebrate diversity this month and beyond.
Pride Personalization: Avatars and Themes
To date, more than one billion avatars have been created across Meta technologies! That’s a billion times that people on our platforms have actively decided how they appear and express their authentic selves online.
First introduced to our platforms in 2022 in collaboration with LGBTQIA+ artists and creators, Pride-themed avatars and stickers in Feed and on Stories on Facebook and Messenger have also proven wildly popular with communities. Look for the Rainbow flag avatar in your Avatar sticker tray on Facebook and choose to express yourself through a fun post with a Pride-themed background.
Facebook and Messenger are feeling the Pride this year too, as people can now use custom word effects and newly introduced Pride themes to create the ideal kind of space for them and their friends. To customize your Messenger chat theme, go to the customization bar in Messenger and choose the “Theme” you vibe with from “Pride”, “Transgender”, or “Non-Binary”.
Connect with Pride through your favorite creators
This year, we’re running an online campaign to help you connect with your favorite creators and leading LGBTQIA+ advocates through Meta Thailand’s Facebook page (facebook.com/MetaTH). We reached out to some of the most prominent figures of the LGBTQIA+ community here in Thailand to hear in their own words their thoughts on identity and authenticity both in normal life and online:
- Woody: The well-known TV show personality, digital content creator, and LGBTQIA+ advocate who champions being true to yourself (and just a little fabulous).
- Tiger Killer: The first non-binary pop artist under Thailand’s largest music label, GMM Grammy, and the first Thai artist to be mentioned by the official Instagram global account (@instagram), whose music teaches others not to judge a book by its cover.
- Nisamanee: The online influencer and visual sensation whose stunning looks are equally matched by her understanding and compassion for others.
At Meta, we are all about inclusivity and giving communities a voice, so we hope you feel inspired from this video we made in collaboration with these creators for Pride 2023.
