What Is the Red Equal Sign All Over Facebook and Twitter?

When you ventured on to Facebook or Twitter today, you coudn't help but see some of your friends changing their profile picture to a red equal sign. It is now really going viral and spreading out all over the web. But what does this mean?

The symbols signify they are a part of a social media effort to show support for equal human rights. The U.S. Supreme Court is holding hearings on marriage equality in the United States. The big push today came from the Human Rights Campaign on Facebook, calling for people to wear red today (March 26) and change profile photos on social media sites to a red equal sign to signify a support of equal rights.

Today's facebook campaign is part of a larger campaign called Stand for Marriage, which is advocating for LGBT equal rights in the realm of marriage. Two different hearings are occurring in the Supreme Court on the issue. Today’s hearing, Hollingsworth v. Perry is a challenge of California’s Proposition 8. Tomorrow’s case is challenging the Defense of Marriage Act, Windsor v. United States.

A decision following hearings of these cases will set precedent for law around the country regarding marriage rights in the United States.