A large amount of Facebook users showed their support for gay marriage last week by changing their profile picture to the Human Rights Campaign’s equal-sign logo, and the trend is slowly going out of style. One is stirred to wonder if people really knew the full truth about who was behind this movement that took our newsfeeds by storm.
Why are people so willing to buy into an Internet fad without knowing about the organization they are supporting?
In a recent article from AnnArbor.com, Washtenaw County was hailed as most likely to change their profile picture to the pink-on-red equal sign when a Facebook study compared it to any other county in the country. The fact that Washtenaw was recognized for the exceptional number of socially progressive inhabitants is great, but simply jumping on a social-media bandwagon seems like a half-hearted way to show support for this basic human right.
So you changed your picture—I don’t mean to call you out. You probably are a sincere enthusiast of the legal right for same-sex marriage, and perhaps you know exactly the cause you are supporting. However, I guarantee most people didn’t do their research before changing their profile picture.
The now-famous equal sign campaign was started by the Human Rights Campaign, and the organization itself has some serious misconceptions surrounding the definition of “equality.”
In 2007, the HRC supported only the first three letters in LGBT, excluding transgender people from the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a federal gay employment bill that has been stalled in Congress for years.
During a marriage equality rally in front of the White House, HRC asked rally participants not to wave their trans flag, because they claimed marriage equality isn’t a trans issue, according to a March 30, 2012, article in Policymic. The organization seems to have a specific plan, and anything not included in its definition of equality will not be promoted.
The Human Rights Campaign falls short of its name. The interests of white and middle class people are represented all over their campaign strategy, but any deviations aren’t included and are basically ignored. Youth homelessness, HIV/AIDS infection rate and drug addiction are all extremely destructive issues facing the LGBTQ community, but those human right concerns aren’t issues the HRC cares about. The people who need help from the HRC the most aren’t getting it.
If you didn’t know these things, passionate LGBTQ supporter, and it changes your opinion of the equal-sign phenomenon, don’t fret. Just take it as a reminder to look into the causes you’re supporting before jumping on even the most progressive of bandwagons.
