Google Doodle Just Isn't Gay Enough

This looks gay to us.

​Even if we aren't the gayest city in America anymore, LGBT people everywhere still have high expectations of us when it comes to displaying our gayness. Perhaps that's why Google's genuine effort to celebrate the month of Gay Pride with its rainbow doodle just isn't, well, gay enough for some.

Don't do it yet, but when you Google the words "gay" or "lesbian" you will see the small rainbow tucked around the end of the search bar. But curiously when you type in any variation of those words, such as gay civil rights, lesbian avengers, or even the name of a gay icon like Harvey Milk, the power rainbow mysteriously disappears.

So why aren't the gays getting an entire rainbow on every search, when other special holidays and months get full-blown Google doodles?  As the Atlantic's Nicholas Jackson asks in an article he penned this week: Is Google, which is a well-known gay-friendly place, trying to dodge potential backlash from those who still oppose gay rights?

According to Jackson:

There have been Doodles for Sesame Street, Veterans Day, and Vivaldi. We've seen Doodles for Pi Day and Pac-Man. Why, then, has Google shied away from a Doodle in celebration of Gay and Lesbian Pride Month?

A Google spokeswoman told SF Weekly that it's difficult to decide.

"We have to balance this rotating calendar with the need to maintain the consistency of the Google homepage. Occasionally, we choose other ways to celebrate events that are important and meaningful for our users such as commemorative graphics or, in this case, a fun Easter egg in our search results."

In essence, Google decided to plant the gay doodle for certain search inquiries, making it like an Easter egg hunt. But as Jackson points out, Google shouldn't hide behind its pride.

I just want the same treatment as Vivaldi, who was properly celebrated even 269 years after his death.

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