Sports Illustrated Features Gay Kiss in Super Bowl Preview Issue

Sports Illustrated readers will see a more diverse representation of 49er fans when they pick up the magazine’s Super Bowl Preview issue this week.

According to NBC Bay Area, the magazine will include a photo taken at "Hi Tops," a new gay sports bar in San Francisco’s Castro District. The image was snapped the moment the 49ers won the game which secured the team a spot in the Super Bowl, and “captures the thrill of victory with cheers and kisses at a gay sports bar.”

"Hi Tops" owner, Jesse Woodward  told NBC the photo’s inclusion in the magazine sends a message to the world that sports fans come “from all walks of life and we’re all a big melting pot.” A sentiment echoed by one of establishment’s bartenders, Logan Chavarria. “A lot of people come in and don’t even know it’s a gay bar and then we find out we have a common bond,” he told NBC. 

Chavarria also pointed out that the photo snapped at "Hi Tops" being included in the coverage of a mainstream sports magazine feels like a win for the entire LGBT community. “I told my mom and she cried,” he added.

Watch NBC Bay Area’s coverage below.