Kaleb Anthony and Kordale Lewis epitomized the idea of a modern family in this Instagram picture that went viral in January. The photo stirred up controversy among Internet users who disapproved of the depiction of two black gay fathers brushing their daughters' hair, but for these dads, the image represents normalcy.
To celebrate Father's Day, Anthony and Lewis joined HuffPost Live's Josh Zepps on Thursday to discuss the meaning of the photograph for themselves and their three young daughters.
"Equality, that's what it's bringing out," Anthony said. "It's trying to portray that, 'Hey, we're normal just like everybody else is. We can have a family like everyone else can.' Equality."
The parents said they were both "shocked" and "astonished" that the photo went viral, but they attribute some of the negativity they received to racial stereotypes.
"A lot of people had negative commentary," Anthony said. "I guess it was more so because of the fact that we were two gay men, African American men, and that's not something that you really see in our community. It's kind of taboo to have a lot of African American men take care of their children, as some women would see it. To see that there's two men that are willing to take care of their children, two gay men that are willing to take care of their children, it kind of made the community into an uproar."
Watch the full conversation with Anthony and Lewis about gay fatherhood below: