The more things change, the more they stay the same.
(Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta (L), assigned to the amphibious dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), kisses her partner Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell, following the ship’s return to homeport after a three-month deployment in the Caribbean, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in this handout photograph taken and released on December 21, 2011. History was made on a Virginia Beach pier on Wednesday when two women sailors, one just home from 80 days at sea, became what was believed to be the first same-sex couple to share the Navy’s traditional first kiss.)(V-J Day in Times Square, a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt, was published in Life in 1945 with the caption, In New York’s Times Square a white-clad girl clutches her purse and skirt as an uninhibited sailor plants his lips squarely on hers)
Outstanding.
[cross-posted at Angry Black Lady Chronicles]
Baud
Who knew that the destruction of the American way of life could be so hot?
Schlemizel
For those of us who are regular readers of Jesus General know full well that ladys cannot be homosexual because they do not have little soldiers to put in each others mouths!
Now its time to partake in the manly tradition of wrestling Spartan style – naked & greased up!
Yutsano
I’d bet money this is a hyperbolic statement. However letting the picture be taken so openly is a new thing. :)
Cris (without an H)
The photo at the top of this post made me grin from ear to ear. Beautiful! Thank you for this.
The Moar You Know
@Baud: Amen.
urizon
Awesome analogy.
Satanicpanic
It certainly doesn’t hurt that they’re cute.
Meadrus
Plus, the girls kissing was mutual, unlike the earlier iconic kiss, which was between an exuberant sailor and a stranger (I have always found that photo slightly creepy given their body language, which is clearly that of a one-sided embrace):
[Wikipedia]:
From The Eye of Eisenstaedt:
I was walking through the crowds on V-J Day, looking for pictures. I noticed a sailor coming my way. He was grabbing every female he could find and kissing them all — young girls and old ladies alike. Then I noticed the nurse, standing in that enormous crowd. I focused on her, and just as I’d hoped, the sailor came along, grabbed the nurse, and bent down to kiss her.
RD
@Schlemizel:
Molon labe.
Brachiator
Sometimes in a good way.
Saw this photo yesterday. Very cool.
Go Navy!
Also, too, choke on it, conservatives and fundies.
daveNYC
@Yutsano: I don’t know, the whole ‘first kiss’ thing seems to be a bit of a ritual, so this might actually be a legit first.
A good thing regardless.
Percysowner
@Yutsano:
Apparently it is not hyperbolic. In the video about this kiss, the officer stated that the honor for the first kiss is raffled off. The tickets were $1.00 and she bought 50. She was still stunned when she won. Before DADT was dropped she would have been ineligible for the raffle and the kiss could not have been public, so yeah, they really were probably the first same sex couple to share the first off the boat kiss.
Warren Terra
The photoshop combination of the two images is pretty good, too.
Bitter Scribe
Also, too, choke on it, conservatives and fundies.
With Rick Perry first in line.
That loathsome asshole. Dissing gay servicemembers who will do more for their country before breakfast tomorrow than he will ever accomplish in his whole misbegotten life.
Paul in KY
@Percysowner: Cool! Nice that they can serve normally & have normal lives.
Yutsano
@Percysowner: @daveNYC: I’d gotten so used to that being a very private celebration that it didn’t occur to me it was the VERY first kiss off the boat. I just thought it was one taken openly on the docks. In that case you guys are right.
If it was rigged, that’d actually make me happier. :)
FFrank
What’s funny from my Lesbian friends on Facebook was the comment:”Thank god that they were hot.” For two reasons, to prevent blowback by having hot girls for political optics and just for their plain enjoyment.
Baud
According to Benen:
Joe
“Rigged” is such a harsh word. I figured it was just good staff work.
AxelFoley
Virginia Beach, huh? My city. Must have been at Dam Neck, since Oceana is landlocked.
Liz
@Baud-I was going to mention how pretty they are. 0_o
mass
“”Nice that they can serve normally & have normal lives…””
Which is what we should want for normal people.
Both straight normal people and gay normal people.
ellie
I just love that top photo!
Calouste
@Baud:
Indeed:
Here’s the picture on the official navy website
Mnemosyne
@Yutsano:
I guess I know for sure that I’m straight, because my question is, “What do they use the raffled money for?”
The kiss itself, my thoughts are more like, “Aww, that’s cute. Good for them!” and not “they’re HAWT!”
stevestory
Merry Christmas, christian conservatives!
We got you a present!
Paul in KY
@mass: No shit.
Calouste
@Mnemosyne:
The raffle money goes to a sailors’ childrens Holiday party or something like that.
MikeJ
@AxelFoley:
When my dad came back from sea he would sometimes come into Oceana. Flight crews flew off before the ship came in.
The Oak Hill (this ship) is based at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, which is right on the line between Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
chrome agnomen
@Schlemizel:
don’t little sailors count?
gwangung
@Baud:
Good!
@Mnemosyne: OK. My first thought actually was, “All right! Yea!” But I ain’t gonna lie and say that I didn’t find them attractive…
@FFrank: Heh. Heh. I like those comments.
Jamey: Bike Commuter of the Gods
Meh. Needs more seamen.
Sarah Proud and Tall
@Jamey: Bike Commuter of the Gods:
Hee.
Jamey: Bike Commuter of the Gods
@Sarah Proud and Tall: Shee. (Couldn’t resist. High praise to earn a giggle from you, SPaT!)
salacious crumb
ABL
Look at Matt Damon!!! is he racist???!!!! he criticized Dear Leader Obama, he who shall not have his policies questioned, again. Please let Legion Obots know that Matt Damon is not a liberal and he hates Obama and his movies should be boycotted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/21/matt-damon-slams-obama-democrats-one-term-balls_n_1162511.html
Obama’s starry eyed fan here! ..and my best friend is black so I cannot be racist just like you cant be as you are half black!! yay!!
Arclite
Actually, that’s one of the hotter pictures of a kiss I’ve seen lately.
Mike in NC
Was not aware of this tradition. Unfortunately, after returning from deployment (3 to 6 months, sometimes longer) the odds that your significant other has dumped you are about 50-50.
SectarianSofa
Beautiful moment.
OzarkHillbilly
Call me when it is two guys kissing at the quay,….
because everyone knows, Lesbians are hot. Admit it, I got a stiffie, so did you….
Allan
@salacious crumb: Derailing troll is derailing.
Janus Daniels
An iconic image, echoing the famous WWII V-day photo, and far worthier and more charming because mutual.
Uncle Ebeneezer
Any predictions on when this would have happened under President McCain?
AxelFoley
@MikeJ:
Makes sense. I was trying to think of where there was a pier at Dam Neck. Been a while since I’ve been on that base. Little Creek sounds right.
AxelFoley
@Uncle Ebeneezer:
I’m gonna go with the 1st of Never.
Extreme Liberal
@salacious crumb – Bringing Balloon Juice down on a daily basis, don’t you have any 8th grade homework to do?
TooManyJens
@salacious crumb: Jesus, you’re an asshole.
hugely
Hott!
Stentor
@Liz: I’d love to be the Marine Corps meat in that Navy sandwich. We’d find new meanings for the term ‘shipmates’ mmmmm, petty officers.