Type 'gay marriage' into Google for a rainbow surprise

 By 
Samantha Murphy
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Google is celebrating the legalization of same-sex marriage across the United States following a Supreme Court ruling on Friday.

Colorful artwork appears when you type certain words into Google's search engine, including "gay marriage," "same-sex marriage" and "Supreme Court gay marriage." You'll see a banner of people holding hands next to small hearts, who make up the colors of the rainbow flag associated with LGBT pride.

On the left side of the results page, a small heart is in those same colors.

The artwork appeared just minutes after the Supreme Court justices, in a 5-4 ruling, struck down gay marriage bans as unconstitutional. States are now required to license a marriage between two people of the same sex.

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Google has long been a supporter of gay rights. In addition to participating in pride marches worldwide, the company launched a live stream of the New York City Pride March in 2014 so global viewers could tune in via Google+ and YouTube.

The company is also known for hiding "Easter eggs" and animations in their searches. In the past, for example, typing "Let It Snow" during the winter holidays triggered an animated snowfall within the browser window as well as a frozen lake-like effect that showed the path your cursor has taken.

Google isn't the only high-profile tech company celebrating today's victory. Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is openly gay, tweeted his praise:

Today marks a victory for equality, perseverance and love.— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 26, 2015

Meanwhile, Facebook added a tool that lets users superimpose a rainbow over their profile pictures. While users have uploaded rainbow flags as their avatars in the past to mark same-sex marriage legalizations in various states, this is the first time Facebook rolled out a tool of its own.

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