Two Texas-based gay fathers featured in a controversial JCPenney advertisement are speaking out about the experience for the first time, saying the photo "just reflects our life."
Following right-wing "online activism campaign" One Million Moms' somewhat predictable condemnation, Cooper Smith and Todd Koch are laughing off the opposition to the photo on a pair of Dallas television programs, calling it "nothing we haven't heard from people our whole lives."
Acknowledging the controversy, Koch -- who appeared with his three-year-old children, Mason and Claire -- nonetheless stressed that "the support has been overwhelmingly positive." He went on to note, "I think it just shows that people don't really think everything quite through...they make rush judgements on certain things without really understanding the full picture."
Smith echoed those sentiments on NBC5: "That photo is actually a true second of our lives, just playing and having fun with our kids and the affection and love that we have for them." As for the opposition, he added, "It's just part of growing up gay."
Having previously threatened to boycott JCPenney after Ellen DeGeneres was tapped for a spokesperson role, One Million Moms once again fired off against the Texas-based retail group online. "One Million Moms (OMM) is disturbed that JC Penney's (JCP) is continuing down the same path of promoting sin in their advertisements," the group, which also slammed JCPenney's decision to feature a lesbian couple in its Mother's Day Catalog, wrote on their website. "We must remain diligent and stand up for Biblical values and truth. Scripture says multiple times that homosexuality is wrong, and God will not tolerate this sinful nature."
Watch the dads' WFAA appearance below: