When he was in his 20s, Belanger moved to California. Photo: ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries. “PGE exhibition, Hastings Park.” Vancouver, Circa 1953. Joseph John Bertrund Belanger (right) shares a tender moment with a man in a photo booth. Belanger was born in Edmonton, Canada in 1925, and served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1942 to 1944. TIME reports that the photo was once owned by Joseph John Bertrund Belanger, who is featured on the right-hand side of the picture. Photo: ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at USC Librariesīy today’s standards, this photo shouldn’t raise any eyebrows, but in 1953, the year it was taken, this photo would have been reason enough for law enforcement to harass and arrest these men.
Joseph John Bertrund Belanger (right) kisses a man in a photo booth. More than 60 years ago, a gay couple found the freedom to show affection for each other in the safe confines a photo booth.
