Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Here's a pink-and-red equal sign I can get behind

I don't know about you, but my Facebook wall has been awash in pink-and-red equal signs like the one below since early yesterday.

For those of you who haven't experienced the same, here's the gist: in an effort to show that they support marriage equality (aka same-sex marriage), swarms of people have been changing their Facebook profile photos to that of a pink-and-red equal sign that apes the Human Rights Campaign's omnipresent--in my 'hood, at least--blue-and-yellow logo.

Although I haven't joined that crowd for a number of reasons (I'm not a fan of HRC, for starters), I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to do so after coming across this altered version:


By the way, as far as I can tell, a chap named Derek Eclavea is responsible for this awesome creation (while one of my Facebook friends, Eric Starker, is responsible for turning me onto it).

Should you want to read a bit more about these pink-and-red equal signs, may I suggest checking out the following blog posts: 'Don't Let That Red Equal Sign Become a Hollow Gesture' and 'HRC’s Branding Attempts'

8 comments:

Matt said...

I'm so out of the loop--I hadn't heard of this campaign until your post, and I'm not really familiar with the HRC. Why do you dislike the organization? I read the blog posts, and I don't have a problem with this campaign--I don't know if people really need to be made aware of the fact that gay rights is an issue (there are other visibility issues gay rights activism has, but unlike something like elder abuse, awareness of the issue itself isn't a problem), but the campaign itself is completely unremarkable at worst and a nice show of support at best, and the idea is one I can get behind.

Justin Difazzio said...

Yeah...I used to be a fan of the organization until I found out that their CEO makes 2 million dollars a year. I think they don't need my $35 anymore...

thegaygamer.com said...

Hey there, Matt! There are a number of reasons I'm not a huge fan of HRC. For starters, they have a pretty spotty record when it comes to supporting transgender individuals, which I have a big problem with. (I think everyone within the LGBT spectrum should support one another, and too often gays and lesbians distance themselves from transgender folks or even throw them under the proverbial bus.) Also, in my mind, HRC is far too passive--too often the organization refuses to engage in an important issue because it doesn't want to rock the boat, appear controversial, etc. That's even true RE: the Prop 8 case that is now before the US Supreme Court, as initially HRC didn't want the case brought forward (yet now they're trying to profit from it). Finally, HRC often seems (to me) to be more interested in garnering donations than it does in doing any real good when it comes to the various issues surrounding LGBT rights.

Those are just my opinions on the matter, though, and I respect that many other LGBT and non-LGBT people have opinions different from my own.

That said, I'm still glad orgs like HRC exist.

Also, I'm glad so many people have been willing to display these pink-and-red equal signs on Facebook and Twitter and elsewhere. I didn't do so because everyone I'm connected with on Facebook knows I'm gay and knows I'm passionately supportive of marriage equality (duh!), but I'm hopeful that others doing so will help raise awareness of this issue and help continue to change opinions in regards to this issue.

thegaygamer.com said...

Exactly. And that's only the tip of the iceberg. To me, the org is far too passive and often only gets involved in issues when its leaders think it's socially acceptable to do so. Personally, I think HRC should be more progressive, more interested in "fighting the good fight"--even if a portion of the masses may be turned off by it.

Matt said...

Ah, okay. One of the blogs you linked to mentioned the HRC excluding transgendered people, but I wasn't sure what the full context was. Do you know what the HRC does with donations? I've only heard of them in passing, and like most organizations, I'm never entirely sure how donations actually assist the cause.

Haha, yeah, I suppose when you run a blog like this (not that I'm knocking its...creative stylings), awareness isn't an issue. :-P



Ultimately, these sorts of awareness campaigns are really only going to be followed by people who are already known to be supportive of LGBT rights, and while it's nice that the campaign exists, these generally end up just preaching to the choir. That's fine, of course, but it ends up feeling a bit half-baked, and I don't really know how that can be avoided.

thegaygamer.com said...

Sadly, I no longer know anything about what HRC does with its donations--mainly because I fell out of love with the org some time ago.


As for this particular campaign: I think it could raise awareness among a fairly small subset of the population, but in general I agree with you that for the most part it's just preaching to the choir.

Zaphod65 said...

It was nice seeing that sea of red when I opened Facebook yesterday. Admittedly, I'd long since blocked or been blocked by the anti-gay people who'd complain. lol

thegaygamer.com said...

Ah, you and I both, Zaphod! I can't imagine I'm Facebook friends with anyone who disagrees with marriage equality at this point--thankfully!