Facebook profile banner lets Aussies show support for marriage equality

Facebook is showing its rainbow colours by allowing Australians to display their support for the LGBT community's fight for equality.

On Tuesday, Facebook announced users could have their say on same-sex marriage by adding a new rainbow flag banner to their profile photos. Working with the advocacy group Australian Marriage Equality, Facebook built the frame that adds the statement "I heart marriage equality."

The release of the frame coincides with the 38th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade on Saturday in Sydney. It also follows the international success of the rainbow filter, which Facebook created in June 2015 following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down gay marriage bans.

Previously in Australia, there have been frames in support of sporting teams, but this is the first time the company has partnered on a cause locally, a Facebook spokesperson confirmed to Mashable Australia.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The marriage equality profile banner can be added to profile images by visiting the Australian Marriage Equality page and clicking "try it" or "use frame" on their pinned post, depending on the device used. It can also be obtained by clicking on the profile picture of friends who are using the frame and then following the prompts.

Facebook, which is an official sponsor of this year's Mardi Gras, said marriage equality was Australia's eleventh most talked about topic on the platform in 2015. 

The fight for sex marriage in Australia continues in 2016. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who won office in September 2015, disappointed many by continuing his support for a plebiscite on the issue, despite the fact a public vote would not change the law. Members of parliament would still be required to vote on the issue for the law defining marriage as an institution between a man and a woman to be changed.

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