There are kisses for all tastes, Just to name a few examples, history includes the artistic of Gustav Klimt, the photographic of Robert Doisneau, the cinematographic of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, the political between the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and the East German Erich Honecker, Judas or betrayal.
And, among many others, there is of course the kiss of the Spanish girl, who when she kisses, she really kisses. Except for when Luis Rubiales, then president of the Spanish Football Federation, caused international controversy by kissing soccer player Jenni Hermoso without consent under the pretext of the world crowning of the Spanish women’s team.
But if there is a famous and legendary kiss, it is undoubtedly that of a sailor (George Mendonsa) and a nurse (Greta Friedman) who did not know each other beforehand and which Alfred Eisenstaedt, a photographer for Life magazine, immortalized on 14 August 1945 in Times Square in downtown New York, the day the Japanese surrendered to the United States and World War II came to an end.
That portrait, which has always symbolized victory and peace, has become a source of contention at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Those responsible for this agency banned this photograph from being displayed in VA facilities and health centers with the argument that it “does not fit” with the department’s values ??because it is “a non-consensual act.”
Showing this snapshot, considered a work of art, “may constitute tacit support for the inappropriate behavior it describes,” Assistant Secretary of Health RimaAnn Nelson wrote in a report distributed to staff nationwide on Dec. 29. February.
“The workers have expressed their discomfort with the exhibition of this photograph, as it promotes a more traumatic environment, so it must be withdrawn”, he states in a memorandum. By taking this step, the decision “reflects our dedication to fostering a safer and more respectful workplace and is in line with our broader efforts to promote a culture of inclusion and awareness,” Nelson remarked.
This administrative chief suggested that “alternative photographs that capture the spirit of victory and peace without calling into question the VA’s commitment to respect” be placed in their place. He also requested the cooperation of staff as vital to ensure that these images are out of public view as soon as possible.
The situation has not only provoked ridicule from conservatives for what they describe as cultural cancellation, or “the politicization of the bureaucracy”, but it has led to the anger of the department’s top manager, Denis McDonough, who responded this week with a publication in the social network X in which he included the photograph and in which he disapproved the proposal of the report. “Let me be clear, this image is not banned from VA facilities and we will keep it,” he assured. Department sources have confirmed that the memo was authentic and that McDonough never gave his approval. He terminated it as soon as he was informed that it had been sent to the staff.
“The Department of Veterans Affairs will not ban photography,” replied Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary. “I can definitely say that this report was not approved and, therefore, it is not something we were informed about”, he insisted. But copies of this document were already circulating on the networks and have received millions of hits, which is why it was transformed into a political lightning rod.
The image is titled V-J Day in Times Square, but is popularly known as The Kiss. As nurse Friedman confessed to researchers at the Library of Congress in 2005, that “wasn’t a romantic act, it was just an event of thanks to God that the war was over.” And he admitted: “It wasn’t my choice to be kissed. That man simply approached me, grabbed me and kissed me.”
The photograph sparked controversy with the emergence of the movement
