When a local news station in Florida broadcast footage of two men kissing, viewers went ballistic.
Last week, News4Jax in Jacksonville reported on U.S. Sailor Kenneth Woodington, who won a raffle to get the “first kiss” upon disembarking USS The Sullivans after returning from seven month deployment to the Persian Gulf and Europe.
Naturally, Kenneth chose to kiss his husband, Bryan. The couple mimicked the famous 1945 V-J Day kiss in Times Square.
Adorable, right?
How about we take this to the next level?
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Well, not everyone thought so!
After broadcasting the kiss, the station was bombarded with pissy letters and phone calls.
“How sad that your station has dropped to such a low as to show a gay couple kissing on your newscast,” one viewer said.
“I thought this was a ‘family friendly’ news channel,” another wrote.
“I’ll never watch your news again!!!! So long, News4Jax,” a third person declared.
Asked how they felt about the negative response, the couple tells News4Jax they couldn’t care less.
“Honestly, I’m the type of person who doesn’t really care that much about what people say,” Kenneth says.
“My grandmother always taught me, she said, ‘You know some people have a different life and this is how they are and you just have to treat them as such, and treat them with kindness and respect,'” Bryan adds.
The photo was also shared on Naval Station Mayport’s page, where it received pretty much the opposite response. The comments were overwhelmingly positive.
“Times have changed when a gay sailor can welcome home his partner without fear,” one person wrote. “Welcome home. Life is short love whoever you want to love!”
“I’m not gay and this doesn’t offend me one damn bit,” another said. “Why should it? Love is love for goodness sake!”
“A new twist on an old favorite!” a third person commented. “Love it!”
Posted by Naval Station Mayport on Friday, December 21, 2018
Some people had a little fun with it by mocking those bitter News4Jax viewers who found the kiss so offensive.
“This makes me sick to my stomach,” one person joked. “White shoes after Labor Day!?”
“This is disgusting,” another wrote. “The weather should be ashamed of itself looking all gloomy.”
“Dammit, this is exactly what I warned you about, running off and joining the Navy!” a third person added.
Bill Austin, spokesman for Naval Station Mayport, tells News4Jax that boys kissing boys and girls kissing girls has happened many times before and it’s not an issue for the Navy, which he says has “always been gender neutral and on the forefront of progress.”
Chrisk
Of course the bitchers are just living a chaste life I’ll bet. Lol
misterjack
“White shoes after Labor Day,” LOL!
Rob P
“Bill Austin, spokesman for Naval Station Mayport, …he says has “always been gender neutral and on the forefront of progress.” ”
Except for when we kicked people out of the service for being gay.
rodzilla
the first thing i thought of was all the history paintings showing sailors and sailorettes fighting in The War Of 1812. haha!
MISTERJETT
gay panic can be so funny.
djmcgamester
Um, two married guys *is* a family. Hence, them kissing is “family friendly”.
miamunty
were these people upset because it’s too men or that one is black and one is white!
ShowMeGuy
They were probably so upset by the image of two men kissing that they were not even able to notice that both men were not the same “color”.
Mick406
No. They were upset that you said “too men” instead of “two men”.
RevJames
Mick406 HHAHAAHHAH! Thanks!
rodzilla
‘ “My grandmother always taught me, she said, ‘You know some people have a different life and this is how they are and you just have to treat them as such, and treat them with kindness and respect”, Bryan adds.” Aren’t Grams & Grandpops one of the best things about the human race? Also “WELCOME BACK ASHORE SODOMITES!”
jsmu
Incel KUNTS are hilarious. Of course, FloriDUHHHH, the Gunshine State, is chock full of troglodytic sociopaths!
Onecaddy13
Ignorant and homophobic people need to calm down. This man is serving and protecting our country so idiots like you can trash them. You should be thanking them for their service. But I’ll do it for you. Welcome home sailor, thank you for your service, and I’m glad your husband was there to greet you. Keep on kissing ….
roddy
Well, Judas kissed Jesus….guess those people who were disgusted should give up Christianity.
startenout
That didn’t go well for either of them. You really should read the whole story if you wanna ridicule us Christians.
nm4047
@startenout. Why read the entire article, most ‘christian’ quotes are only selection of the the stories from the bible.
Juanjo
Family friendly news – like murder, assault, horrific traffic accidents, rapes, armed robberies, drug arrests, and the latest sex scandal involving Trump and a hooker. Right…
Gary Q VV
Nice reply.
bowlingbutch
The LOW the person accuses the station of is listening to the hate from a few viewers. Go ahead and support your president who has zero morals and cheats on all his wives and treats women so badly. Guess they hate seeing a gay couple so in love because they probably don’t have anyone who would miss them or would be so excited to see them
fur_hunter
Eventually, most of the religious, evangelical, fundamentalists will be dead and the world will be a MUCH better place without their HATE and discrimination. And they get it ALL from a book written over 1500 years ago by MEN…..NOT God! They use it as a reference to support their HATE and ignore the unbiased and legitimate information available regarding homosexuality. I want to know, how many of them would go to a doctor who uses a medical book written over 1t500 years ago to treat his patients? It is disgraceful, they are such hypocrites!
fur_hunter
KUDOS to the TV Station for having the BRASS ONES to do the report and show the picture. It shows that the station is NOT biased and there is NO discrimination there. Excellent!!! I hope they will ignore the MORONS of the religious right. They are slowly dying off. That you, Jesus!
Kangol
What a beautiful picture, and the jack@sses ranting about the kiss should have thanked the sailor for his service defending their right, as Americans, to be free, including to be freely stupid homophobes! Welcome home, Mr. Woodington, and thank you for your service!
Doug
It always amuses me when Florida, of all states, plays all chaste and shockable.
nm4047
where are the other members of the band?
joseph_buscarino
Please, this story is blown out of proportion, just like most Queerty ones, its probably a few homophobes, the same ones that you see at most gay pride events, like 6 sad little men who have nothing better to do with their lives then worry about a gay kiss. Maybe the homophones should start worrying about the skeletons in their own closet and in in their own community. Are we really shocked that their are people like this in Florida? mm no.
Gary Q VV
Wow. This is a great photo-image — I love a sailor, too. Regarding the homophobic statements: we already know how to deal with those people… Right?
Chipper
A few years ago here at the Little Rock Airforce Base in Jacksonville, AR. Channel 11 showed the airmen returning home after about a year of deployment. One airman got to his husband and they embraced, and I do not remember anything much being said about their kiss. Both were airmen. And the station did not shy off of showing the kiss of the 2 airmen.
James
Chrixtian trash complaining as if anyone other than themselves gives a crap about what they think about gay people.
pisces-boi
Great another interracial couple ? why are black men obsessed with white bois? #overit
Ashke113
Meanwhile what’s the newstation’s take on the negative response……
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
OMG! One of those Queers kissing a Colored!!!
Jinkypooh
So beautiful…. so important to see in the media… also important for us LGBTQ et al to accept the the differences of our homophobic companions on this planet (please try – if our struggle taught us nothing else…) ‘Have to agree about white shoes after Labour Day: there was a white belt there too… never!
alevvv1000
Very romantic, this time in a colored picture!