To celebrate Pride Month, leading metaverse gaming and digital land platform The Sandbox has teamed up with People of Crypto Lab to launch the first equity and inclusivity hub in the metaverse.
POC, a creative and innovation lab dedicated to increasing diversity in Web3, will launch the first #MetaPride in collaboration with NYX Professional Makeup on June 24, 2022, during the special “Belonging Week” event. POC aims to have built a ‘cultureverse’ while investing in and amplifying creators and communities with diverse stories, teams, and projects that represent black and brown women, people of colour, and LGBTQIA+ creators, developers, and brands.
NYX Cosmetics and POC Lab will highlight that makeup has no gender through a non-binary NFT avatar collection featuring voxelized makeup looks for each group represented in the Progress Pride flag.
The minting will occur on June 17 and will incorporate one of the most diverse NFT collections characterised by 36 skin shades, every ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identification. It is meant to celebrate cultural and physical differences ranging from different abilities like prosthetic limbs to cultural identifiers like the hijab.
Commenting on the project, gay and South Asian POC Lab co-founder, Akbar Hamid said:
“There has never been a more important time to build a safe space that welcomes all given the rising discrimination against LGBTQIA+ and other minorities,” adding that “as someone who has had to hide my real identity, I want to help build Web3 as a place that allows marginalized communities to feel represented and not left behind. We are proud to have NYX Cosmetics as a partner that shares our mission.”
Sebastien Borget, COO and co-founder of The Sandbox added:
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential in a truly open metaverse. Rather than replicating the biases and inequality of the real world, the metaverse must break barriers and forge an inclusive, welcoming global community.”
Well, thank you for onboarding LGBTQIA+ and other minorities, Sandbox. Happy Pride Month!
