One of the very first images to go viral and emerge from the USA in 2024 captured love, passion, and inclusivity, which hopefully indicates a great start to the year.

CNN broadcasted a passionate kiss between an interracial same-sex couple immediately after the New Year’s ball dropped in Times Square, New York City, on Monday (January 1).

The image showed two men wearing large Planet Fitness hats locking lips in a lengthy display of affection as soon as the countdown to 2024 concluded on “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen”.

Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper hosted CNN’s live New Year’s Eve show, which showed two men kissing after the ball dropped in Times Square

Image credits: andersoncooper

The romantic moment sparked praise on social media, with people taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share their excitement to see some queer visibility on mainstream media.

“Gay people watch straights kiss on TV every day. Get over it and get used to it,” a person wrote.

Another individual commented: “Wishing you all a happy planet fitness CNN interracial gay kiss New Year!”

Nevertheless, such visibility often ignites backlash from conservatives, as an X user noted: “CNN’s first shot after the ball drop appears to be an interracial gay kiss. The outrage will be hilarious.”

The romantic moment sparked praise on social media, with people taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share their excitement

Image credits: Times Square NYC

SCREAMED pic.twitter.com/E3C2XxtAvK

— Ryan Aguirre (@aguirreryan) January 1, 2024

Unfortunately, that person’s prediction turned out to be rather accurate, as the image further sparked homophobic and hateful remarks, too hurtful to be repeated in this article.

Other comments suggested that Anderson and Andy, two openly gay men, were already hosting CNN’s live New Year’s Eve show, therefore suggesting that showing more queer individuals on mainstream media was not needed.

Starting 2024 off right!#CNNNYE pic.twitter.com/sqc3ZqPEbn

— Joey Moser (@JoeyMoser83) January 1, 2024

However, a study suggests that people who identify within the LGBTQ+ community are still overwhelmingly underrepresented in mainstream media.

According to Nielsen’s “Being Seen on Screen: Diverse Representation & Inclusion on TV” report, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people make up an estimated 4.5 percent of the U.S. population, yet, they were 6.7 percent of the top 10 recurring cast members in the top 300 programs on broadcast, cable and streaming platforms in 2019.

The report also found that 26 percent of the top 300 programs included at least one cast member who identifies as LGBTQ.

The image showed two men wearing large Planet Fitness hats locking lips in a lengthy display of affection as soon as the countdown to 2024 concluded

CNN’s first shot after the ball drop appears to be an interracial gay kiss. The outrage will be hilarious. pic.twitter.com/49qtAB7cmi

— JoeMyGod (@JoeMyGod) January 1, 2024

While the numbers alone paint a picture of increased visibility, Stacie de Armas, Nielsen’s senior vice president for diverse consumer insights, said it’s important to differentiate presence from representation.

She told NBC News: “When you look across the TV landscape, the LGBTQ population looks well represented, but when we look deeper, and at intersectional groups, it’s clear there is a need for greater diversity in LGBTQ representation.

“White LGBTQ people are most represented on screen, while female LGBTQ people of color and Latinx LGBTQ people are below parity compared to their population estimates.”

“I knew there’d be issues and I love it!” a viewer quipped

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