British online newspaper The Independent posted a link yesterday to an article entitled ‘Here’s what your sleeping position reveals about your relationship’.
The light-hearted piece comments on the five different ways that couples sleep—for example, spooning, separated spoons, chest pillow—and discusses what they say about the state of your relationship.
But the image chosen to accompany the article - a same-sex couple cuddling up in bed - has had homophobic Twitter users up in arms.
After the article was poster to Twitter, one user commented "No more…LGBT agenda is a mess and disgusting…" while another said the image was "uncalled for".
But the hateful comments were quickly countered by readers congratulating The Independent for the representation of same-sex couples.
After one Twitter user called the image “disgusting”, saying that it insinuated the couple had just had sex, another reader commented: “No they’re sleeping. Like the article says. Gay people sleep too you know. We don’t hang upside down from the ceiling.”
Many users were frustrated that in 2017, images of a same-sex couples still cause this kind of reaction.
“It shouldn’t have to be brave to put a picture of a couple on an article about couples but here we are. Good on you,” wrote one supporter.
