Google Tastes The Gay Rainbow For Pride

If you’ve been a good homogay this month you’ve likely spent some time researching all the Pride events happening around your (or your gf/friends) city this June. I stumbled upon the adorable rainbow hugging the search button after searching for pride parties in NYC this weekend and upon further investigation discovered that pretty much any search that includes the words “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual,” “transgender” will churn out the same result. Awesome, right?!

What’s interesting is that while Google normally stays away from taking a political/social stance, they’ve made visibility as a huge supporter of gay rights a big exception, even publishing a post-Pride blog in 2010 highlighting employee participation in Prides around the world including Tel Aviv, Dublin, San Francisco and Chicago.

Google at Tel Aviv Pride 2010

The company offers benefits for same-sex partners, spoke out against Prop 8, has an organized subculture of employees known as “gayglers,” as the company’s queer staff are known, and just last month, premiered a 90 second Google Chrome/”It Gets Better” commercial on prime-time television!

“Google supports its LGBT employees in many ways: raising its voice in matters of policy, taking a moment to remember the plight of transgender people around the world and going the extra mile to ensure that its employees are treated fairly,” Google had said last year.

Google at Dublin Pride 2010

 

 

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Jess

Jess is a pop culture junkie living in New York City. She enjoys endless debates about The L Word, Howard Stern, new techy gadgets, DVR, exploring the labyrinth of the Lesbian Internet, memoirs, working out, sushi, making lists, artsy things, anything Lady Gaga touches, traveling, puppies, and nyc in the fall. Find her on Twitter @jessxnyc or via email.

Jess has written 240 articles for us.

63 Comments

  1. Yay, Google! It honestly warms my heart when gay stuff is acknowledged by big powerful groups. Like, as much as Old Navy was dumb about selling their Pride shirts, they do have a Pride display in their 34th st window here (in NYC) and it warms the cockles of my little lesbian heart.

    • I’m so immature. all I could think of was “ha, cockles. cock. lesbian. cock.”

  2. Our future overlords can sure be adorable! You’ve won a loyal minion, Google.

  4. omgz. that rainbow thing is so cool. it’s like magic. i can’t stop doing it! i feel like i’m a newborn giggling at all the bright plastic things dangling in front of me.

  5. This is all very well but why have they still not sorted out the lack of gayness on instant search?

    I WANT INSTANT LESBIANS.

      • DEAL. we won’t even need to “recruit” anymore. that’ll stop the republicans!

    • It looks like they fixed the instant lesbian problem! Which is nice. Buuuuut, bisexual is still coming up blank. Which is :(

      Also, I don’t think that instant lesbians would be a problem in other contexts. GOOGLE YOU SHOULD CREATE INSTANT LESBIANS

      • THAT’S BECAUSE IT HAS THE WORD SEX IN IT

        (Does it also refuse to autofill words like “Sussex”?)

  6. I wish I was a gaygler.

    They are so smart. “Gay bars” will get a rainbow, but “gay bashing” does not. Happy rainbows are reserved for happy rainbow searches.

      • Nothing against gargling, or those who gargle! It’s just a weird word. Like “moist”.

        • my first gf had a HUGE problem with “moist” and “meal”

          “IT SOUNDS SO WHINYYYY. MEAAAALLLL”

  8. that papi line kills me every time. good to hear companies with huge audiences are supporting the cause.

  9. I feel like Google is slowly taking over the world, or at least my life, but if I’m going to have a supreme technological overlord, I’m glad they produce rainbows and acceptance.

  11. Oh hey, I was in that Google It Gets Better commercial! I mean, I’m in a small thumbnail on the side, but my face was next to Lady Gaga on national TV, so it counts.

    From what I heard, the agency that made the ad thought Google was absolutely awesome. I think it was one of their favorite projects they have ever done.

    Google also made a point to run that ad in slots that wouldn’t normally be full of gaymos. Having that commercial during Glee is one thing, but putting it in the middle of the NBA finals brings it to a whole new level, I think.

    Basically, I effing love Google, is the point.

    • Wait until the actual anniversary of Pride (June 28th, the 42nd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots)

      I have a feeling Gayglers have something up their sleeves. Remember, Google doesn’t really ever have a doodle up for more than a day or so.

  13. Just one more reason I love Google. This is the ONLY company in existence that, if they completely took over the world, I would be ok with it.

    Gotta love that motto: “Don’t be evil.”

  14. “They call their gay employees “Gayglers.” Really, Papi.”
    OMG LOL. Although since TRLW I now say “Really, Sahashama”?, cause it seemed it’s all Whitme could say.

  18. Pingback: Google Raises Gay Pride Flag in Search Results – PC Magazine | Tech News Network

  19. Ugh that ad makes me cry why am I always compelled to press play when someone posts it

    also, big corporations are not to be trusted, full stop, but but but I always WANT to trust Google, and it’s because of shit like this.

    • But “drag king” totally does :D

      That’s actually how I found out about Google’s awesomeness BEFORE Autostraddle posted it (which is usually how I keep up to date with breaking gay-news awesomeness)

  22. I get no rainbows… Why doesn’t it work for me?
    Y’all are just typing it in and having rainbows, right? You’re not like, pressing enter or anything like that?
    I want rainbows.

    • I get no rainbows, either. Maybe it knows that like 98% of my searches are totally gay so it doesn’t think it I need rainbows since it assumes I already walk around wrapped in a rainbow flag all the time?

    • Where are you at? Maybe it’s only in certain countries. (Although it does show up on searches in the .au domain, I just checked…)

  24. I get rainbows on google Ireland, yay! I do hope they do a cool doodle for Stonewall anniversary Pride day… am I a bad-gay for not knowing which specific date that is?

  28. This made me smile :) Doesn’t work for Google Japan though, so I’ll have to check when I get back home.

  29. You have Kobe Bryant shouting out the word Faggot…then again with the jets guy and David Tyree speaking out against Gay Marriage…and of course you have Tracey Morgan being downright hateful against gays and there are no ramifications. Even the sight of Weiner’s Weiner has brought down a Congressman. Are people that afraid of Gays in this day and age? Well Marc Freden, too, has been given pause with the issue. As a gay man, even he feels the need to apologize for the blatant use of the word “Faggot” in his new book “REALLY!?!” Now Freden using the “F” word should get a tacit pass…much like black people using the “N” word to describe themselves. His harmless use of the word…(And you must read the book to understand) has lead him to a video mea culpa on YouTube “Marc Freden Must Apologize to the Gay Community”. Furthermore, Freden has pledged that if Kobe Bryant can be fined $50,000 then he too should pay a price. A percentage of every book sold as a result of his apology will go to the Trevor Project – a gay hotline for distressed teens looking for a voice of calm and understanding. It is the least he can do. Who will join Freden in this cause?

  30. It made me *so* happy to see that Google has pride, too! I showed the rainbow searches to all my friends ^_^

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