Hey everyone, as pride month comes to a close. I would like to introduce you all officially to “Bloom”.

You may recognize Bloom from some of our social media posts. They are the new META mascot and you will definitely be seeing more of them very soon as a couple of new projects unfold! If you’ve been keeping up with our Instagram stories you’ve likely already seen Bloom in a couple of different depictions even!

Bloom is gender-fluid/queer. What this means is they can be masculine-presenting or feminine presenting without conforming to a gender (swipe right for explanation). Their pronouns are they/them. If you accidentally refer to them as he/she, they don’t mind but it’s not their preference!

The addition of Bloom is being done to project that META is an inclusive nonjudgmental space for anyone and everyone, and to remind us that strength isn’t just physical might but also in embracing who you are. I can’t think of a much greater feat than learning to express yourself fully and relentlessly. That to me radiates true strength!

Although this year’s pride month is at an end, celebrating pride is year-round. Cheers to those that have bloomed and/or are still blooming 🏵️

While talking about pride month I want to briefly mention the rich history of pride! From struggle and hardships to victory and celebration. From the Lavender Scare 1950’s-60’s to Stone Wall in 1963! Homosexuality was only removed from mental disorder diagnosis’s in 1973! The first black pride happened in 1991 leading to more fostering of the black queer community! That same year the first American prime time same-sex kiss was aired. Pride month was declared in 1999-2000! And SCOTUS rules in favor of marriage equality nationwide in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges on June 27, 2015! The progress made is nothing short of incredible but like the progress pride flag indicates, there is still more work to be done..

Thank you to @jabonguyen for designing Bloom and thank you to @nomii.novelties for the LGBTQIA+ design of Bloom as seen here.