When the NFL drafted openly gay football player Michael Sam last Saturday, the athlete kissed his boyfriend on live television and apparently ruffled conservative feathers across the nation.
With a number of Americans publicly expressing their discomfort over the same-sex kiss on national television, an important question was raised: do Americans, even those in favor of gay rights, actually know what it looks like for a same-sex couple to be affectionate with one another?
In response, HuffPost Gay Voices Editor-At-Large Michelangelo Signorile ignited a call to action that he dubbed the Great Facebook Kiss-In, asking people to change their Facebook profile pictures to images of same-sex couples kissing. In a blog published yesterday, Signorile explained why he thinks this demonstration of solidarity with Sam through social media is so important:
People just aren't used to seeing two men or two women kissing, even with all the news coverage of gay marriage. Judging by some of the reactions to the Sam/Cammisano kiss, I'm not sure what they think gay men in relationships do. Play checkers? (Well, maybe sometimes.)... So with that, I hereby launch the Great Facebook Kiss-In, urging everyone -- whether gay, straight or bi -- to change their profile pics to two women kissing or two men kissing.
The response was immediate, with an overwhelming number of people -- from politicians to activists to school teachers to dentists -- wanting to show their support for Sam and the visibility of affection between same-sex couples. Some shared photos of kisses with their partners, some shared famous same-sex smooches (Madonna and Britney seemed to be a favorite) but no matter the choice, the message was clear: we're here, we're queer and just like non-queer people (whose affection is broadcast on billboards, television shows and in magazines every day), we kiss, too.
Check out some of the photos from the Great Facebook Kiss-In below.
#KissIn pic.twitter.com/yxGrfczxbK
— Ron Fife (@FifeRonfife) May 14, 2014
Thanks @MichaelSamNFL #KissIn pic.twitter.com/PdxjUgxRGI
— Swirl Radio (@SwirlRadio) May 15, 2014