Recently I caught a glance of this photo by Justin Sullivan of Getty Images in a newspaper depicting supporters and opponents of a California judge's recent ruling in favor of same-sex marriage in that state. The print copy was in black and white, and having found a color version (many thanks to my boyfriend Dave for tirelessly searching google images), I have to say the image looses some poignancy in color. Nonetheless, what struck me most about the photo is that it seems to present a geographical representation of the United States. Supporters of same-sex marriage are shown bracketing opponents on either side, almost mirroring the way liberally-minded Americans seems to be concentrated on either coast (with a few notable exceptions) while conservatives make up the interior.
The interplay of gazes is also fascinating; the two men on the right side engaging each other in a way that could be read as either congenial or contentious while the woman and the man on the left are looking off somewhat lackadaisically in the same direction. What a fascinating moment to have captured that seems to say a lot about the debate over same-sex marriage in the US.
Source: Getty Images
