Observing Love: Kiss Goodbye

[Tiziana Heck]

– I see a couple kissing each other goodbye. One man leans out of the door for the kiss, and we can see a child looking up at their faces from behind him. The other man, who has stepped out the door, is leaning back in for the kiss. The child on his back looks at their mouths and seems to be patiently observing the ritual.

– I chose this picture as it stood out to me as a beautiful fleeting moment which the children (of the couple) are observing as the couple kisses each other goodbye. Despite the picture’s black and white colour hue, the scene feels harmonious and welcoming to me. Many gay couples today still face hate and discrimination. Frequently, people use the argument that it is not natural to see two men, for example, show signs of love and affection towards each other. Yet, we can observe the kind and curious eyes of the children in this picture, who experience a normal encounter of their parents, or two adults in the room. I think that the children show, that frequently, hatred or discontent about the love life of others is learned and does not enter one’s emotions intuitively. I think this picture represents the open-mind of a child towards love.

[Charlotte Kay]

A lovely image; and it is heartbreaking to think that this image could instigate disgust. Thinking about it, it seems clear to me that it would not be the image itself that procures disgust (e.g. a black and white photo of two human subjects kissing with a child) but rather what the human subjects represent; they have short hair, and facial hair, therefore, they must be men (which, as we know, isn’t actually correct) – and two men, two masculine, strong, men, should not be kissing. Tenderness and masculinity are something we have very much come to understand is a highly uncomfortable subject that has been brushed under the carpet for some time (some schools of though say Christianity, some say the Victorian era/colonialism). I am always so glad when I see “Boys cry, men cry”.

[Teodora Cristiana]

This is a great image, really positive and encouraging. It makes me think with hope towards a future where gay people will have the right everywhere to adopt children.

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