History made with first LGBT kiss at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The coldest Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on record had the most heartwarming of moments.
In a historic first at the world-famous Thanksgiving parade in New York City, the two lead actresses of the new Broadway musical “The Prom” kissed. The smooch between Caitlin Kinnunen and Isabelle McCalla was nationally broadcast and occurred during the Broadway show's musical number in the 92nd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
"The Prom" debuted on Broadway in October and is currently running at the Longacre Theatre in New York. The show is a story about two teenagers, Emma and her girlfriend Alyssa — played by Kinnunen and McCalla, respectively — living in small-town Indiana. The two high school students want to go to their prom together, but the school’s parent-teacher association cancels the dance altogether once they find out.
SEE ALSO: Dragon Ball hero Goku makes premiere at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The same-sex kiss between the show’s lesbian couple takes place towards the very end of the number performed in the parade.
Following the moment, fellow ‘The Prom’ cast member, Josh Lamon, tweeted:
So proud. So thankful. pic.twitter.com/DGTYNsJhxB
— Josh Lamon (@JoshLamon) November 22, 2018
While the kiss brought out a few detractors, the reaction on social media was overwhelmingly positive. The LGBT community in particular shared their pride in the moment.
.@ThePromMusical I love you! What a lesson you just taught the country on the @Macys thanksgiving parade! ❤️💛💜🧡💚💙
— Caissie Levy (@CaissieLevy) November 22, 2018
Two girls. Just kissed. On live TV. On the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I suddenly cried. Lovely. Thanks given to @ThePromMusical. (& Macy’s/NBC.) & lesbians everywhere. & turkeys. For their sacrifice. But esp. @ThePromMusical.
— Tina Landau (@TinaLandau) November 22, 2018
Thanksgiving 2018 already made the record books as the coldest ever Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in its 92 years of existence. It was also the coldest Thanksgiving holiday in New York since 1901.
The Prom’s parade performance joins shows like L.A. Law, which featured television’s first same-sex kiss in 1991 between Amanda Donohoe and Michele Greene, in making history for the LGBT community in the entertainment industry and beyond.
WATCH: Meet the 10-year-old drag kid shaping the future of drag youth
