TORONTO – Facebook users are seeing red – in this case, in a bid to raise awareness about marriage equality.
A growing number of Facebook users are changing their profile pictures after the Human Rights Campaign Facebook account shared a photo asking users to make their Facebook profiles red in support.
The photo, which is simple a red square with a pink equals sign in the centre, has been shared over 65,000 times, garnered over 19,000 likes and become the profile picture of countless accounts on the social network since it was posted on Tuesday.
The online rally of support comes as the U.S. Supreme Court examines two back-to-back gay marriage cases, the court’s first major examination of gay rights in 10 years.
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This week’s arguments have drawn intense interest as momentum rapidly swings toward acceptance of the issue among Americans. Thousands of people marched in Washington Tuesday, loudly arguing each side of the gay marriage debate.
On Wednesday, the court will hear challenges to the 1996 federal Defence of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The law forbids nationwide recognition of same-sex marriages and bars married gay and lesbian couples from receiving federal benefits.
But this latest show of online activism has spread all over the web – even Canadians have been sharing the photo in support of the cause, including Canadian musician Matthew Good.
Other celebrities, including Ellen DeGeneres and Lance Bass, have changed their profile pictures and have been actively sharing the link to the Human Rights Campaign petition.
Singer Beyonce posted a handwritten note to her Facebook page late Tuesday that read, “If you like it you should be able to put a ring on it,” and included a hashtag that read “We will unite for marriage equality.”
The photo has garnered over 105,000 likes and over 29,000 shares at the time of this publishing.
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