This photo could have gotten these men arrested.
It was taken in 1953, a time when purposefully vague statutes on morals, lewd conduct, or disorderly conduct in many states allowed the police to target and arrest gay and lesbian people for such transgressions as wearing items of clothing of the opposite sex, propositioning someone of the same sex, or even holding hands with a member of the same sex. But this picture, in fact, reveals far more than that. Today, it might seem like any other informal, casual photograph of a young gay couple enjoying each other’s company.
