Seeing red: Symbol for marriage equality goes viral

What’s red, pink, and all over your Facebook News Feed?

The Human Rights Campaign’s push for marriage equality is sweeping social media Tuesday as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the Proposition 8 case. The social campaign launched around 1 p.m. EST Monday afternoon, when the organization changed its Facebook profile picture from its iconic blue and yellow logo to the current red version.

"Red is a symbol for love, and that's what marriage is all about," Human Rights Campaign spokesperson Charlie Joughin told msnbc.com on Tuesday. "We wanted to give people an opportunity to show their support for marriage equality in a public and visible way."

Since Monday afternoon, the original photo posted on the HRC's Facebook timeline has been seen by over 9 million people, Joughin said, and shared over 77,000 times just from the organization's Facebook page directly.

Celebrities and politicians alike have replaced personal Facebook profile pictures with the HRC's red logo--actor George Takei, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley--and even more have spoken out on Twitter.

"We never expected anything like this--for it to go viral," HRC's Joughin said. "So we're excited. But more importantly, we're excited that the public support for marriage equality has been so great."