It’s a statement against homophobia and the commemoration of the love shared between a marine (who was at sea for 9 months aboard The Winnipeg) and his partner back in 2016.
The LGBT+ community continues fighting its constant battle against homophobia and discrimination, attitudes that unfortunately are still present in every corner of the world. However, thanks to the courage of those working for change, it’s slowly decreasing. Canada has been a world leader in this regard, from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s attendance at the Toronto Pride parade, to the historic photo of Canadian soldiers expressing their love.
It’s been 4 years since the historic photo was taken in which an officer from the Canadian Forces came ashore, after spending 9 months at sea aboard The Winnipeg, and emotionally kissed his partner. The image of a soldier being reunited with his girlfriend is a classic, but on this occasion the photo was of a gay couple.
To commemorate the anniversary, the Canadian Forces in the United States published the photo on their Twitter page, alongside a beautiful message, celebrating love.
It was 2016 when the emblematic ship docked in Canada after 9 months at sea. Photographers anxiously awaited the ship’s arrival, hoping to capture the reunions between those onboard and their loved ones. Everybody expected the classic image but this time diversity was present.
Generally a raffle is held to see who will leave the ship first and that day destiny chose the marine Francis Legare. His partner Corey Vautour was waiting for him on the shore.
Here we leave you the video of the historic and emotive moment:
Since that moment 4 years have gone by, an anniversary that has been celebrated by the entire community. The Canadian Forces in the US published the image on Twitter along with the hashtag #ProudBoys
“If you wear our uniform, know what it means. If you’re thinking about wearing our uniform, know what it means. Love is love. Know what we mean?
They were silent. They were shunned. They weren’t always welcomed. This is about us, then, now. This is for them. They are Us.”
–They wrote on Twitter–
It’s a way of fighting homophobia, ignorance and discrimination.
It’s time to make love visible, love conquers all. We all have a right to be happy.