Gay couples on Facebook!

Dear all,

After watching The Social Network, my Facebook experience has changed completely. The Social Network makes Facebook seem so much more intense and way more fun to be a part of. If you haven’t seen the movie yet I would recommend a family or friends movie night during this upcoming so-soon recess.

I just read an article on The Huffington Post that makes me even more proud of Facebook and its initiative to recognize so many faces around the world. Facebook, in an attempt to represent and include people of all walks of life, just included the options “in a domestic partnership” and “in a civil union” as relationship statuses to an already long list. A network of activist groups including the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the Human Rights Campaign, the Trevor Project, GLSEN and PFLAG came together as the Network of Support and pressed Facebook to make these necessary changes.

This is wonderful because people of the LGBTQ community can now openly express their relationships on Facebook the way heterosexual couples had been allowed since Facebook began recognizing relationships. With this initiative, Facebook has come out as an ally of the Queer community. LGBTQ youth have used Facebook as a medium to come out, to be Gay rights activists, and to feel included in a larger network. Now, the adults in the community can find validation and honest portrayal of their relationships also.

Starting today, the U.S., Canada, France, the U.K. and Australia will incorporate these new statuses on Facebook. I hope that this will soon become a global reality as Facebook is meant to be.

Love always,
Afzal

PS: Have a safe and sweet break!