Nationwide Push To Identify Couple In Photos From Secret 1957 Same-Sex Wedding Inside Philadelphia Apartment
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Wedding photos taken in Philadelphia more than 60 years ago have now led to a nationwide search for the happy couple seen pictured in 1957. The two men who exchanged vows during an intimate and likely secretive ceremony inside of a Philly apartment were never identified.
"I think they were doing it because they were, you know, scared. I mean, back then it was really shunned upon," said Adam Proctor, of Philly AIDS Thrift.
The photos were taken in Philadelphia but the two unknown men who were at the focus never saw a single shot.
There's now a national push to find out who these men are or were. Local businesses like Philly AIDS Thrift are helping out by spreading the word.
"I think there are a lot of people, especially in Philly, even though it had a bad rep, 'you don't like us, we don't care,' but I think a lot of people do care," Proctor said.
The wedding photos are believed to have been obtained after they were originally confiscated by the store where the film was taken to be developed. They never returned to the couple but were saved over the years by someone deemed to be a sympathetic employee.
Several years ago the pictures were donated to the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at the University of Southern California. Another set was then given to the William Way LGBTQ Center's John Wilcox Jr. Archives.
The men would likely be in their late 80s or early 90s now.
The photos are being shared with the hope that someone might recognize an uncle, a neighbor or an old friend and that the album of this loving day can finally be returned.
"I think it's sweet that people really want to find these people and I hope they do find them," Proctor said.
