By Brad Friedman on 12/21/2011, 9:53pm PT  

From AP...

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) --- A Navy tradition caught up with the repeal of the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" rule on Wednesday when two women sailors became the first to share the coveted "first kiss" on the pier after one of them returned from 80 days at sea.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta of Placerville, Calif., descended from the USS Oak Hill amphibious landing ship and shared a quick kiss in the rain with her partner, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell of Los Angeles. Gaeta, 23, wore her Navy dress uniform while Snell, 22, wore a black leather jacket, scarf and blue jeans. The crowd screamed and waved flags around them.
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"It's nice to be able to be myself. It's been a long time coming," [Gaeta told reporters after the kiss.]
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David Bauer, the commanding officer of the USS Oak Hill, said that Gaeta and Snell's kiss would largely be a non-event and the crew's reaction upon learning who was selected to have the first kiss was positive.
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Navy officials said it was the first time on record that a same-sex couple was chosen to kiss first upon a ship's return.

[Hat-tip TPM.]

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Article Categories: Rights And Freedoms, Dept. of Defense