HRC, the Human Rights Campaign, convinced what felt like millions to change their social media avatars — especially Facebook and Twitter — to a red “equal” sign, a take on the iconic HRC blue and yellow logo, in support of the Prop 8 and DOMA marriage equality cases at the Supreme Court this week. And it was wildly effective, as practically anyone on social media platforms this week knows (is anyone not on Facebook or Twitter?)
But soon afterward, there were even more red logos, most that kind of looked like equality signs — but sure as heck weren’t.
I first noticed a fake on The New Civil Rights Movement’s Facebook page, when an anti-equaality opponent made a negative comment on a post. I clicked on their avatar, then strolled through their hundreds of friends, clicking on all the fake equality logos that clearly were either pro-something else, or anti-equality.
Then I did the same for every red avatar knockoff I saw. It took quite some time, and one interesting observation I made was that on many people’s Facebook friends pages, there were pro- and anti-equality people.
Here’s a sampling of more anti-gay icons:
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The avatar in the bottom left corner has a fascinating pedigree. Joe Jervis, aka Joe.My.God., writes that it comes from San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone‘s Facebook page:
The scriptural reference does seem apt: “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division.” At this writing over 200 angry comments have been posted under the photo.
Jervis later notes the icon and the post were “deleted after 350+ comments, not one of which was supportive.”
Fortunately, we had many people who had some good fun with the meme:
Rumor has it the bottom left one stands for bacon equality.
And, finally, these:
