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Technology & Innovation — February 14, 2012

Google’s Gay Valentine

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To commemorate Valentine’s Day Google altered its logo today by embedding an animated video of a cute love story. Most of the video depicts a guy and a girl romance, but it ends with a collage of many different couples, including a frog and a princess, an alien squid and an astronaut as well as two men in tuxedos.

Watch the video here:

This is not the first time the company has shown its support for gay rights. For instance, a rainbow was used to commemorate Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, and a previous Google ad promoted Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” campaign. What is unique in this case, however, is Google’s embrace of gay marriage at a time when this divisive social issue is front page news due to legislative battles in Washington, New Hampshire and New Jersey, and a legal fight that may go to the Supreme Court.

Should large corporations like Google use their power and influence to promote a particular stance on hot button issues? What do you think?

Follow Daniel Honan on Twitter: @DanielHonan

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