Google creates virtual LGBTI Pride event
Google is using virtual reality technology to enable millions of LGBTI people who would otherwise be unable to attend a Pride event to participate in an online version of the celebration. #Prideforeveryone shows gay and lesbian Google employees, known as ‘Gayglers,’ and allies participating in parades in 25 different countries. The initiative is particularly aimed at those unable to attend Pride events due to social prejudice or anti-LGBTI legislation.

Jessica Guynn

USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — Google is tapping the power of immersive new virtual reality technology so millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in the U.S. and around the globe unable to participate in Pride because of social stigma or anti-gay laws can take part in the celebration.

#Prideforeveryone is a vivid montage you can view on YouTube 360 and Google Cardboard with your smartphone, featuring footage of gay and lesbian employees, internally known as Gayglers, and their allies marching in pride parades in 25 countries around the globe. Clips come alive as you walk the streets of Brussels, Tel Aviv, Sao Paolo and Sydney, taking in the rainbow hues, pulsating music, inspiring speeches and the acceptance of joyful crowds.

More than half of the LGBTQ population has never participated in a parade, according to the Pew Research Center.

"This year we gave it a lot of thought how we bring Pride to people who can't physically not attend or are not really that comfortable in attending Pride," said Arjan Dijk, Google's vice president of growth marketing and executive sponsor of Gayglers. "We are bringing Pride to millions of people who can march in a virtual way and be part of it all."

Google helped pioneer smartphone-based VR with its Cardboard smartphone-holder, which has been broadly adopted by consumers due to its low cost. Virtual reality is being used as a gateway to other worlds, bridging long distances and different cultures, and taking people to places they might not otherwise venture such as Jordan’s Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees.

A Google employee came up with the idea of using the technology to create a virtual Pride experience. The message of Google's #prideforeveryone campaign: Be who you are. Love who you love.

"When you are at Pride, you get this sense of excitement and this sense of a community coming together," Dijk said. "What we are aiming to do is bring this sense of excitement and this sense of community to people who normally would not be able to get to do that."

The mass shooting in an Orlando gay club has cast a shadow over Pride celebrations, a painful reminder of the the risks of being gay in America despite dramatic strides toward equal rights in the last few years.

"I do think after Orlando this message is even more relevant, that people should be proud of who they are and who they love and Google as a company fully supports that," Dijk said. "In light of Orlando, it's very important that we celebrate life."

Follow USA TODAY senior technology writer Jessica Guynn@jguynn