The social network Facebook tries to respond quickly to changes in society and in the lives of people registered on this site. And one of the signs of the times has become the same-sex marriage icon that can be displayed in the news.
A person registered with the social network Facebook can receive information about various changes in the lives of their friends, for example, about their marriage. Each action corresponds to a graphic image. Since 2012, such an icon has appeared for same-sex marriage - a symbolic image of two grooms or brides. One of the founders of Facebook, Chris Hughes, was the first to add such an update to his page, thus announcing the marriage with his beloved Sean Eldridge.
The appearance of the icon depicting same-sex marriage is in line with changes in the legislation of many countries around the world. For 2012, same-sex marriages are recognized and concluded in the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Spain, South Africa, Canada, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina and Denmark. Also, similar unions are possible in 8 US states and the capital District of Columbia, Mexico City and one of the states of Brazil. In some countries, such as the UK, same-sex marriage is planned for the near future.
The introduction of special designations for same-sex marriages is also a sign of the friendly attitude of the Facebook administration to the entire LGBT community (LGBT is a collective term for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people). Earlier, in 2011, users were already able to indicate different marital status. The fact is that in many states, when homosexuals do not have the right to marry, in parallel there is the possibility of registering civil unions that give limited rights. For example, such unions between people of the same sex are possible in France, Germany, Great Britain and other states. Therefore, in their profiles, same-sex couples can report the conclusion of such unions. The administration of the popular resource even received special awards from foundations for the protection of the rights of gays and lesbians for supporting LGBT organizations.
