An ombudsman has strongly defended a photo of a same-sex couple kissing that accompanied a Washington Post front page story about marriage equality.  Dozens of subscribers complained about the picture, with some using anti-gay rhetoric to make their points.  But Post ombudsman Andrew Alexander said the paper was right to publish the photo where it did:

News photos capture reality. And the prominent display reflects the historic significance of what was occurring. The recent D.C. Council decision to approve same-sex marriage was the culmination of a decades-long gay rights fight for equality. Same-sex marriage is now legal in the District. The photo of Ames and Ariga kissing simply showed joy that would be exhibited by any couple planning to wed – especially a couple who previously had been denied the legal right to marry.

There was a time, after court-ordered integration, when readers complained about front-page photos of blacks mixing with whites. Today, photo images of same-sex couples capture the same reality of societal change.

Photo:  Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post