According to reports, Apple introduced a new iOS update on Thursday, but it caused some controversy because Apple introduced a pregnant man emoji in the iOS 15.4 beta version. In fact, pregnant emoji isn’t new to some, as they’re part of a September 2021 update to the “encyclopedia of emoji” Emojipedia.
But the difference is that Apple’s pregnant emoji came out as part of the iOS 15.4 beta. iOS 15.4 will roll out to all iPhone users later this year. Apple’s move sparked controversy. Some cultural commentators argue that Apple’s “pregnant man” emoji removes what makes women different from men, and even dehumanizes women.
Emojipedia also faced some criticism last September when it first unveiled the pregnant woman and pregnant man emoji. Emojipedia later said in a blog post that the new emoji could be used to represent trans men, non-bisexuals, or women with short hair, as well as some other groups such as people who just finished eating (bulging belly).
Health website Healthline.com says those who were born female but later identified as male are “trans men” and can have children. It’s unclear how many men in the U.S. are pregnant, but figures show at least 22 men in Australia gave birth in 2018. Apple has not responded to a request for comment on the introduction of the “pregnant man” emoji.