Gay couple recreate favourite photos 25 years on to show 'it wasn't just a phase'

Nick Cardello and Kurt English are a married couple based in Tampa, Florida. For their 25th anniversary, they decided to attend the Equality March in Washington D.C.

In the days leading up to the march, Cardello began to share more affectionate photos of the couple on social media, including one of them kissing during the 1993 March on Washington.

Cardello told BuzzFeedNewsthat the photo was significant because it represented "a kind of second coming-out for us".

Most of [the photos] have been kind of generic – a lot of people get kind of sensitive to seeing images of gay men kissing, so I've always resisted posting them on social media.

But this year, he says, it's important for people to see that image: "It's who we are."

Being more public, it becomes not such a big deal. My concern is with LGBTQ suicide rates. If they can't relate to people, they feel isolated. It's important for these images to be out there.

So, the pair decided to recreate their powerful picture and share it with the world...

The sweet and simple photo comparison struck such a chord with people online, and the initial tweet has received more than 200,000 likes and 162,000 retweets.

It inspired praise and other heartwarming tales of love:

It inspired others to do the same with their photos:

It even inspired this confession:

And this point...

Happy Anniversary to Nick and Kurt.