Sometimes, in any sports, there are moments spent just waiting. Maybe there is an official break in the game, or maybe it’s halftime, and crowds have to be entertained. One gimmick that has been used to fill the void is the “kiss cam.”
A camera scans the crowd and projects a prospective couple, or series of couples, on the Jumbotron. When you are on screen, you are expected to kiss: a kiss traditionally draws cheers and a refusal to kiss is generally booed. Generally, the couples selected have been heterosexual couples, which is not surprising. LGBT couples might rightfully fear the crowd response and shrink from displaying affection openly.
But things have begun to change. In May 2015, a gay couple was applauded for their kiss at Dodgers stadium. On January 7, 2016, the NHL’s “kiss cam” at Staples Center put two men out for the match between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the L.A. Kings in its sights.
Brad Parr, a lawyer, and Andy Evans, an actor, at first looked shocked to see themselves on the Jumbotron, but then without hesitation kiss, drawing huge applause from the crowd. Evans would later tweet, “Beyond excited about this moment making gay history as the first gay couple in NHL on KissCam w/ my man @bradwparr.” Parr, meanwhile, tweeted about the momentousness of the occasion, “The @LAKings deserve a huge amount of kudos for having the courage to show a gay couple, even in 2016.”
According to metro.co.uk, the couple received “this response from a young gay man to the clip after it was shared on Reddit: ‘Things like this mightn’t mean anything to you but it does to others, as a young gay person I love seeing stuff like this because it makes me feel better about being gay and coming to terms with it.’”
What are Parr and Evans doing with their fifteen minutes of fame? They hope to leverage it to help them with the fundraising they are currently doing for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at the 2016 Lavaman Triathlon.
graphic via gaynewsnetwork.com.au