Washington Post defends photo of same-sex kiss
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
Same-sex couples won the right to marry in the nation’s capital Tuesday when the District of Columbia City Council voted 11-2 to pass a measure sponsored by openly gay council member David Catania. Congress has 30 days to review the law before it takes effect, but Congressional leaders have already agreed not to block the law’s adoption.
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Having garnered 10 co-sponsors, the Washington, D.C. marriage equality bill added one more supporter in a vote Tuesday, passing the first of two necessary votes 11-2. The District of Columbia City Council’s preliminary marriage equality vote constitutes the greatest consensus ever to occur in favor of marriage equality. Marriage equality bills passed in New England typically did so with the slimmest of margins and tremendous controversy.
