Facebook’s Pride reaction should be available to everyone

Facebook is taking some heat for the pride reactions roll-out this month. The social media network added a rainbow reaction to its standard reactions in support of LGBTQ pride month. The problem: in places like Russia, users don’t have access to the new reactions.

This isn’t the first time Facebook has kept special limited-time reactions to certain areas; it didn’t offer the Halloween ones everywhere either. Then again not every country celebrates Halloween. Every country does have LGTBQ citizens, and the places like Russia – where they have laws against being gay – are probably where social-media endeavors like the pride campaign on Facebook do the most good.

What I don’t understand, Facebook, is why you’re limiting these things at all? Is there a premium on memory where you can only have so many rainbows before we have to shut Facebook down in the Eastern Hemisphere?

I understand putting a timer on them, if not we’d eventually have seventy reactions to choose from. That would mess up the ‘ease of use’ that we get from simple reactions – but why limit things like rainbows to certain areas?

In order to get the reaction in the first place, in the areas where it’s actually available, users have to ‘like’ the LGBTQ@Facebook page. So it doesn’t seem like a problem of the rainbow reaction being thrust upon anyone who would somehow not want it.

I’m not willing to say that Facebook is somehow secretly plotting against human rights and hates LGBTQ people; I’m simply unable to think of any reason to defend the limitation.

It seems like Facebook dropped the ball here. I hope, with only 10 days remaining in June, that they decide to make the rainbow available everywhere. The darkest places need the most light.