Gay sailors make TV history with first kiss
The Canadian navy have made history by allowing a gay serviceman to have the first kiss after a long deployment at sea.
The tradition of allowing someone on board to be the first to kiss their partner is a long standing tradition in the Canadian navy and others around the world.
Crowds in Victoria cheered as Master Seaman Francis Legare smooched his partner, Corey Vantour, after more than eight months away.
“I have been away for 255 days, so it feels great,” said Mr Legare.
“I am speechless.”
Being the first sailor off a ship is considered to be an honour in the navy and is decided by a raffle.
Canada have allowed gay service personnel since 1992 and same-sex marriage has been legal in the country for more than a decade.
“We are reflective of society and we do recruit across all across society,” Rear Admiral Gilles Couturier, commander of the Pacific Navy, said. “If we don’t adapt, we won’t have any sailors joining.”
