Web world brightens with rainbows celebrating same-sex marriage
People celebrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court after the ruling in favor of same-sex marriage in Washington, DC.
Rainbows burst across the Internet on Friday morning after the Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage constitutional nationwide, reflecting the progressive values of many tech companies that have long advocated for gay rights.
Google was among the biggest to declare its support of the ruling, writing “YouTube and Google are proud to celebrate marriage equality” on its homepage alongside the hashtag #ProudtoLove. The company has said it runs several programs in support of its LGBT employees, which it calls “Gayglers.”
Type the words “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual” or “transgender” into the Google search box, and a chain of rainbow-colored silhouettes holding hands appears at the top of the screen alongside a multicolored heart.
Google’s sister company, YouTube, posted a video featuring a montage of emotional coming-out statements and joyful LGBT wedding ceremonies.
On Twitter, #LoveWins claimed the top spot among trending items, with more than 3.12 million related Tweets by midday – each accompanied by a rainbow-streaked heart automatically added by Twitter along with the hashtag.
Facebook also got colorful, offering users the option to superimpose rainbow stripes over their profile pictures. CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a map of the country showing growth of LGBT Facebook Groups in every state from 2008 to today.
“I’m so happy for all of my friends and everyone in our community who can finally celebrate their love and be recognized as equal couples under the law,” he wrote.
Numerous other tech companies joined the rainbow craze, with AT&T declaring #LoveIsLove on Twitter, Vimeo striping its logo in multicolored tones and Uber adding rainbow streaks to the cars on its ride-hailing app.
Apple launched an LGBT section of its App Store on Thursday for Gay Pride month, featuring items such as the film “Milk” and episodes of “Orange Is the New Black,” which prominently feature LGBT characters.
The Obama administration joined the exuberant social media displays, coating its usual Facebook and Twitter avatar of the White House in bright rainbow hues.
Twitter: @dainabethcita
