What’s the red equal sign all about?

Did you login into Facebook today to find a strange new little symbol littering the status update page? Throughout the day many people had changed their profile pictures to the red equal symbol.  So what exactly is this symbol?

Turns out, it’s part of a new viral campaign by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights. They recently changed their logo, which is yellow on blue to pink on red as part of their United for Marriage rallies. The rallies are happening across the country in protest of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8, which are the big ticket items on the Supreme Court’s agenda this week.

“These two cases – which concern the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8 – are fundamentally about whether gay and lesbian Americans can enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities as everyone else.” -Human Rights Campaign

On top of attending one of their events, the Human Rights Campaign is a asking supporters of gay marriage to wear red, help spread the word with the hashtag #UnitedforMarriage, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter for up to the minute news. You can get more information on the cases as they happen on their website,  http://humanrightscampaign.tumblr.com/standformarriage and hear audio from the supreme court arguments.

According to the New York Times, via the pollingreport.com database, 50% of Americans are in support of gay marriage while 45% are still in opposition. Currently in Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia, same sex marriage is legal. But do to the Defense of Marriage Act, these couples unions are still not recognized by the federal government. However, this may change very soon. To stay up to date on the Supreme Court hearings, go to the Human Right Campaign’s website, turn on your favorite news station, or just pick up a newspaper.