Gay Couple's High School Superlative Photo Goes Viral

High Schoolers Brad Taylor and his boyfriend Dylan Meehan became internet celebrities this weekend when a yearbook photo of the couple went viral on the web, spawning tens of thousands of "likes" on social media websites and sparking interest across the Atlantic as the British newspaper the Daily Mail reports.

Taylor and Meehan were voted "cutest couple" for the yearbook of their high school in Carmel, a small town of 35,000 located in Putnam County, NY, 60 miles from the New York City border. The photo of the couple came to national attention when the couple's friend, Chelsea Blaney, posted it to her Tumblr last week only to have the image go viral with over 100,000 shares within 24 hours.

"Two of my best friends won Cutest Couple of our senior class. First time in my school history a same sex couple has even been able to run for this category, not to mention winning it. So proud of them, and my school," Blaney wrote on her Tumblr post.

Soon after the photo went viral, major news outlets on both sides of the Atlantic including the UK's Metro and New York's Newsday reported on the story.

"This whole thing has been a bit surreal for us because we have been raised to believe that love is love," the couple told HuffPo. "We never realized that our happiness and openness would inspire so many individuals. The support we have received from our family, friends, and even strangers has led us to believe that our affection for each other is normal.

"When we started dating a year [ago], the thought of a photo of us traveling throughout the world would be a bit frightening, but now we are proud to be part of the LGBT community."

As of this writing, the post has more than 107,000 "likes".