This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/feb/10/twitter-trend-homophobia-russia-olympics-sochi
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Why rainbows are taking over Twitter | Why rainbows are taking over Twitter |
| (7 months later) | |
| You might have noticed a change in the Guardian’s website masthead. Along with Google, Channel 4, and the New Statesman, the Guardian has taken the decision to add a rainbow-coloured “g” in support of Russia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. | You might have noticed a change in the Guardian’s website masthead. Along with Google, Channel 4, and the New Statesman, the Guardian has taken the decision to add a rainbow-coloured “g” in support of Russia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. |
| But search engines and media outlets aren’t the only ones. Twitter users are now “rainbowifying” their Twitter avatars to show that they are opposed to Russia’s anti-gay propaganda laws. Lauren Laverne and India Knight are two well-known Twitter users who have added a splash of colour to their accounts. | But search engines and media outlets aren’t the only ones. Twitter users are now “rainbowifying” their Twitter avatars to show that they are opposed to Russia’s anti-gay propaganda laws. Lauren Laverne and India Knight are two well-known Twitter users who have added a splash of colour to their accounts. |
| How it all started | How it all started |
| Rupert Myers, a barrister and Guardian columnist, was one of the first to put a rainbow on his Twitter for the Sochi Games and key to it spreading among British users. | Rupert Myers, a barrister and Guardian columnist, was one of the first to put a rainbow on his Twitter for the Sochi Games and key to it spreading among British users. |
| Amusingly, Myers originally created the rainbow Twitter avatar as a joke, believing the rainbowification of social media was a form of slacktivism – minimal effort from people to assuage their guilt, without actually doing anything concrete to help. | |
| *If* the rainbowification of my avatar doesn't make Putin praise homosexuality at the Sochi Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony then I give up | *If* the rainbowification of my avatar doesn't make Putin praise homosexuality at the Sochi Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony then I give up |
| He really was quite sarcastic about the whole thing… | He really was quite sarcastic about the whole thing… |
| If anyone else wants me to rainbowify their avatar, just ask. You can claim a generous fraction of the credit when Putin changes the law. | If anyone else wants me to rainbowify their avatar, just ask. You can claim a generous fraction of the credit when Putin changes the law. |
| …but then something happened that he didn’t quite expect. | …but then something happened that he didn’t quite expect. |
| “The first of the tweets got an overwhelming response, people didn’t seem to realise that I was criticising the practice,” says Myers, “They wanted to be a part of something, and their enthusiasm really changed how I felt about it. | “The first of the tweets got an overwhelming response, people didn’t seem to realise that I was criticising the practice,” says Myers, “They wanted to be a part of something, and their enthusiasm really changed how I felt about it. |
| “I became quite overwhelmed by the way that people clearly wanted to send a message, however small, so I started making them rainbow avatars too when they requested. I’m now quite moved by it. I’m straight but I am really disappointed with what Russia has done.” | “I became quite overwhelmed by the way that people clearly wanted to send a message, however small, so I started making them rainbow avatars too when they requested. I’m now quite moved by it. I’m straight but I am really disappointed with what Russia has done.” |
| How you can join in | How you can join in |
| If you want to add your support to Russia’s LGBT community by adding a twibbon or an overlay for your Twitter avatar, there are now various apps, such as Gay Rainbow or LGBT Rights. | If you want to add your support to Russia’s LGBT community by adding a twibbon or an overlay for your Twitter avatar, there are now various apps, such as Gay Rainbow or LGBT Rights. |
| “I’ve gone from being quite cycnical about these gestures to realising people want to send a message”, says Myers, “and rainbowification is a cheerful, beautiful, simple way to reach out to people and say ‘we’re with you’.” | “I’ve gone from being quite cycnical about these gestures to realising people want to send a message”, says Myers, “and rainbowification is a cheerful, beautiful, simple way to reach out to people and say ‘we’re with you’.” |