Scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed was like sifting through a sea of red. No, the coloring on my computer wasn’t functioning incorrectly. The overwhelming red on my newsfeed was filled with photo uploads, profile picture changes, and photo sharing of the bright red equal sign.

Confused? I was too — until I did a little digging. The bright red equal sign flooding social media newsfeeds is a symbol created by the Human Rights Campaign to promote support for marriage equality.

The Human Rights Campaign strives for a world in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are guaranteed equality at home, at work, and in every situation.

People need to be more open-minded when it comes to human rights — especially gay marriage.

First and foremost: It’s no one’s business. How would you feel if someone stomped all over your dreams and told you they were wrong and you couldn’t go through with them? Let me tell you, I’d probably have a few choice words for that person that would probably cause my mother to wash my mouth out with soap.

Not to mention there’s no such thing as a traditional family, let alone a traditional marriage. Families can be made up of adopted children, interracial couples, or even parents with an age gap that had one of them in diapers while the other was graduating college. Just because there’s a man and a woman saying their vows doesn’t make it right.

And if marriage were about reproduction, then infertile couples wouldn’t be allowed to marry. Sounds pretty harsh, right? It’s the exact same idea when dealing with a same-sex couple. 

Sure, an equal sign screams math more than it screams equality for gay marriage, and it probably isn’t going to instantly change anyone’s decision on gay marriage.

But remember, green means go. Red means stop. So suck up your pride, and stop the judgments. Everyone is equal.