Gay Soldiers’ Wedding Kiss Photo Goes Viral

Via USA Today:

Spc. Shane Adriano and Pfc. Tristian Resz chose the Greene County Courthouse as a venue because they wanted something small and intimate for their Feb. 11 wedding. It was to be just the happy couple, a few supportive friends and a judge. But after they shared their “first married kiss” photo on Facebook, their small ceremony turned into a worldwide event.

Adriano told the News-Leader they have long since lost track of how many times the photo has been shared. “It just keeps getting reshared,” he said. “We had a little bit of negative comments on there, but I wasn’t even expecting that many people to like it and share it over and over again.”

Adriano said they appreciate the warm wishes coming from around world. Resz said many of the positive comments have come from veterans and people in the military.

“The majority of people who were commenting and sharing, they were doing it because they are proud of how far the military has come,” Resz said. “Up until 2011 it was illegal to be openly gay in the military. Now, it’s legal for us to be married.”

The couple lives off-base near Springfield, Missouri.