That little pink and red avatar suddenly feels very small in comparison to the striking black and white photographs that cover the April 8th issue of TIME Magazine, illustrating David Von Drehle’s cover story chronicling the inevitability of marriage equality.
To mark the historic presentation of two oral arguments before The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this week, the verdict of which won’t be known for months, TIME invited same-sex couples from New York and California to pose for photographer Peter Hapak. The result is a series of stunning, intimate portraits of human beings no different from any other in loving, long-term relationships with all the stirring emotional gravitas of Grumpy Cat’s portrait for TIME and the potential to ignite further debate around serious issues, akin to the magazine’s contentious attachment parenting cover from last year.
You can find out more about the issue, the couples featured and see more of Hapak’s portraits over at TIME.
All photos by Peter Hapak via TIME
