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Photographer Receives Death Threats After Sharing a Gay Pride Re-creation of Historic Photo

by 34 Comments

iwo-jima-gay-pride-original

For those just now crawling out from under a rock, the United States has been an open battleground since last week’s Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.  The Right is attacking the left and saying our doom is upon us; the Left is rubbing it in the faces of the Right.

Ten years ago, Los Angeles photographer Ed Freeman took a photo symbolizing gay pride.  The photo recreated the pose of the iconic Raising of the Flag on Iwo Jima taken by Joe Rosenthal during the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945, replacing embattled Marines with shirtless men and swapping the American flag for a rainbow flag.

After the Supreme Court decision, Freeman shared the image on his Facebook page, a move which sparked great controversy, including death threats.

iwo-jima-gay-pride

Freeman posted the photo on June 26th with the caption, “When I took this picture almost ten years ago, it never, never occurred to me that it would someday come to symbolize the victory we are celebrating today. Congratulations to all of us!  Love to you all.”

It didn’t take long for comments to start pouring in.  Comments like, “You are disgusting and nothing but a low life photographer,” “this pic has no business being in existance [sic],” and, “Disrespectful, Disgusting POS photo…no sympathy for the gays or their cause after seeing this…rot in Hell!!!” began flooding the post.

According to the Washington Post, Freeman also received death threats over the image.

One commenter echoed a sentiment that was seen frequently on the post:  “To use this picture is insulting to veterans, you guys need to pic [sic] something else. You cant compare the lives and sacrifice the Marines paid in Iwo Jima to that of gay marriage victory in court. As a veteran and a man I support gay marriage, but not this, so I would thank you if you take down.”

But, Freeman claims that he was not equating the gay rights struggle with the sweat and blood that cost the lives of nearly 7,000 Americans in that single battle.  In an interview with the Washington Post, Freeman states:

“The principle complaint that people have is that I am equating the gay struggle with the contribution and sacrifice of American servicemen.  But there is no equal sign here. This is not meant as a sign of disrespect. For God sake, no. I totally support people in uniform. There is no comparison going on here. The comparison is going on in people’s heads, and they’re spoiling for a fight. They’re already on edge because of  the gay marriage decision.”

As others have pointed out, the original image is one of the most copied and parodied in history.  And, while there are many times parodies have drawn sharp criticism, why is this particular image taking so much flak?

The issue of gay rights is a giant hotbed right now.  But, regardless of your take on it, the men photographed raising the flag on Iwo Jima fought for the liberties of a free society.  Now, what each individual thinks those liberties should be is a different story.

[via Twitchy]

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  • When is the departure for Mars set for? Are they still taking applicants?

  • Maybe we can do a rainbow crucifixion. That should get their blood pumping.

  • Nobody appreciated it when I put a naked woman standing on an American flag in the dirt, either. Civilians don’t appreciate artistic statements.

  • Calm down people,it’s a picture get over it

  • unnatural “people”

    • Hey they have a Rainbow flag you have your I,m marrying my cousin flag. Now play nice.

    • ok, let’s play the nice game. how as multiply-sex couples? I forgot, they are not able to.

    • Emil Kowalski, your logic is flawed. Every single gay person is the result of a heterosexual relationship.

    • And a species with a gene pool that does not have enough genetic diversity will die out.

    • maybe now you understand? this is normal?

    • if homosexuality is healthy, show me the fruit of that love in the form of a child … then it will accept. and if that sometimes it was impossible, that healed this disease …

    • Why must all relationships result in offspring?

    • Well you are at least one argument for the pro choice debate.

    • this is one and only the best argument, becouse without natural offspring homosexual disease die soon in natural way :)

    • Ciagle za duzo ludzi na swiat. Bog lubi kazdy. The bible calls for men and women because there was a time where there just wasn’t that many people on the earth. Homosexuality is a disease? Jak tak Nazi od pan. Przepraszam za moj polski.

    • they are not real arguments supported by evidence

    • All I want is for you to capitalize letters and use punctuation.

      After you can do that, then can talk about your backwards views.

    • mike

      I am sure our friend Emil also would have all people that get a divorce hanged, or a man and a woman that marries and decides not to have children.

      No? Oh, then your argument has fallen on the floor.

    • Emil is unaware that straight people have gay babies. Ergo there will always be gay people. I’m confused by how he’s confused by this.

  • It’s clearly designed to make people uncomfortable, which is not to say that it is “wrong” or “bad”. “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” is an amazingly powerful photograph, and I think it’s important to recognize that three of the sioldiers pictured in the photo did not survive that battle. I think it’s fairly easy to understand why people might be upset. At the same time, art might reasonably be defined as seeing something from a new and different perspective. I think on this basis, it probably works. It plays on themes which caused the original to win the Pulitzer: themes of conflict, of victory, of masculinity and the flag. I admit to a certain uncomfortable twinge that it plays off the images of brave soldiers who fought and died for our country, but the continuing road to gay rights has not been without its own brave soldiers who are dragging us to a more just society, most of whom are unknown and unappreciated.

    I guess it worked then. It made me think.

  • Ta Neil Adams

    The photo reveals a deeper problem and thats with white rich gays thinking it’s okay to white wash the community. You blame Blacks for not being able to marry forgetting that they’re right beside you marching because you’re working from a zionist template. That was the cry from 2003-20010! Comparing marriage equality to slavery. Knowing full well you benefit from white privilege. So, I could careless about the picture or marriage equality. It’s sick the way white gays have exploited Blacks to get people to feel sorry for them.

  • If it were ineffective people wouldn’t react. Great photo.

  • The history behind the first photo really isn’t that glamorous. The photo was of a second flag raised only because the commanding officer wanted the first one for his collection. The photographer at the time missed the first raising. The men in the photograph weren’t even apart of the landing force that took the island. Ira Hayes was one of those soldiers in the photo. He drank himself to death because he felt that the photo was somehow a fake of what really happened.

  • Tasteless? Yes. Death threats? Ridiculous

  • I’m all for gay rights and what not, and while I would never send someone a death threat, I personally would not have gone there. My thought would have been, let’s create our own thing.

  • That must have been a really heavy flag pole. That’s what I see

  • Renato Murakami

    This photo was parodied or homaged by Simpsons, Lego, as a joke for fast food chains, in political propaganda, My Little Pony stuff, all sorts of gamers’ stuff, tons of comics, sci-fi movies, sports, debunked in movie format, among all sorts of stuff.
    Some people might not like it, but it’s no reason for death threats and to get incensed for.
    I do hope people who are doing this realise they are acting exactly like religious extremists they so much like to make fun of.

    • Kay O. Sweaver

      Exactly, its part of the cultural lexicon, anyone getting upset about this but not the others is just trying to find a socially acceptable outlet for their homophobia.

      Its actually a very well executed photograph that’s quite striking and totally appropriate in my opinion. Soldiers died at Iwo Jima. So have thousands of LGBTQ people due to narrow minded people full of hate. In that sense it was also a huge battle with many casualties.

      Even if you don’t agree, freedom is all about letting others do things you don’t necessarily approve of. So ixnay on the death threats.

  • Oh look. it’s the site that used to do DIY stuff. No Taylor Swift stuff happening today?

  • it is easy to be a bully on FB!!!

  • Roger Dodger

    For the second time in a week, this really good website is going downhill fast with the posting of politicized articles designed to stir up people on both sides of this issue. Please get back to what you do best and stop posting stuff you know will be of no use for “Do it Yourselfers”. It’s as if you all get a kick out of seeing people get all upset. Why do you keep doing this? Are you becoming bored with your really good work? You are ruining a good blog. If people want to argue over this junk then they can go to dozens of other places on the internet. Again, Please Stop this!

  • Roy Fritz

    This image is an abomination.
    All they want is to destroy the moral fabric of these United States, and of this world.
    God help us.

    The LBGTQ community will NEVER compare or even give to the American people what these veterans of past wars have fought and died for to protect. I would not wish to be the person who fought or even died for this. I’m sure, as a veteran myself, I am disgusted how these United States have turned out. These past veterans are probably turning in their graves. But, I bet all of you LBGTQ people can only laugh in disrespect. How can anyone respect the LBGTQ community when this is how they tare away at the moral fabric of this country?

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