The fight for marriage equality in Pennsylvania is not just being taken up with legislation and litigation, but is also now being forged through social media. Marion Leary launched Commonwealth Equality on July 15 along with photographer Elizabeth Field. The new social-media campaign allows individuals, families and/or couples to upload inspirational photos, via Facebook or Twitter, of what equality would mean to them in Pennsylvania. Leary, a Philadelphia resident and clinical researcher, said Commonwealth Equality allows Pennsylvanians to take an active and visible role in the Keystone State’s marriage-equality movement, which has seen a wealth of new developments in the past few weeks. “I have a hard time sitting around doing nothing when I see injustices happen. I really loved how it puts visual faces to a message and allows people to see who discrimination affects,” Leary said. “When I saw all that was happening with Rep. Brian Sims and Attorney General Kathleen Kane saying she would not defend the state’s Defense of Marriage Act, I thought I would build on the momentum and let people know who we are.” Field said she was excited to join with Leary on the effort. “Marion is a very motivational person and the issue is really important to me, so when she told me I was excited,” she said. Leary, whose nonprofit Sink or Swim Philadelphia utilizes social media to generate funds to help people who are uninsured or underinsured pay for medical expenses, said she believes social media is one of the best ways to spread messages. “Social media in general can reach thousands of people in a short amount of time, so for all issues, it has such massive power to spread a work or campaign and give visibility that, before social media, may have been more difficult or taken more time. It brings an issue to the forefront,” she said. Commonwealth Equality allows locals to download a template — a blank map of the state that includes either the Human Rights Campaign’s red equal sign logo or a rainbow flag — and write their own messages about LGBT equality on the sheet, and then photograph themselves and their loved ones holding the paper. Nearly 100 photos had come in by press time earlier this week. “We definitely want more photos from individuals, families, allies — I have even reached out to all the LGBT Equality Caucus members and am trying to get lawmakers involved,” Leary said. She added that social media has been integral lately in spreading the word on LGBT issues and news and noted, with this campaign, it could also be helpful in putting a personal face to the LGBT community, and the issues LGBT people face on a daily basis. “For me, my friends on Facebook are my friends on Facebook regardless of sexual orientation,” Leary said. “I have friends from all spans of my life, so they can now see how these marriage-equality laws or DOMA affect my family and friends in a way they might not have seen before.” For more information or to download the template, visit www.facebook.com/CommonwealthEquality or www.Twitter.com/PAEqual. Photos can be emailed to [email protected] for upload.