TCNJ Students Crush World Record for Longest Continuous Kiss
Tom Basgil
This past Sunday, cheers erupted into the night sky as Matty Daley and Bobby Canciello, two students at The College of New Jersey, broke the Guinness World Record for the Longest Continuous Kiss. Although currently held by Nikola Matovic and Kristina Reinhart of Germany, the two expect to become the first same-sex record-holders upon approval by Guinness World Records. In order to be considered, the two had to remain standing in the same area with no bathroom or food breaks. Official witness George Torres said, “Canciello did a lot of research in terms of anatomy and nutrition” in preparation for the ordeal. To stave off dehydration, supporters were allowed to squirt juice into their mouths.
The kiss was streamed live online, watched by viewers in Holland, Japan and even by a platoon of U.S. Marines in Iraq. Torres said that, at one point, 6,000 viewers were watching the livestream simultaneously. Social networking had taken the event from a fringe campus activity to a worldwide phenomenon. Daley and Canciello used the publicity of their kiss to raise an estimated $500 – $750 for The Trevor Project, a non-profit that works to prevent LGBT suicides. Through their Our Lips Are Sealed campaign, the two students hoped to bring awareness and understanding of same-gender love. They broke the record to “show support for equality and marriage,” said Daley.
Dennis Boyce told Out In Jersey that there were four official witnesses in attendance, one of which was Boyce himself. He explained that a witness had to be at the site at all times. Guinness World Records required those four witnesses to sign an affidavit and submit a videotape of the event in order for Daley and Canciello to be considered the new record holders.
Boyce added that reactions from students, campus security and local police had been “really positive.” Reese Crawley, a senior Civil Engineering major at TCNJ, was happy with the amount of publicity the kiss was getting. TCNJ alum Katy Ells added that she was a “big supporter” of Daley and Canciello. She said that the kiss was held in a perfect area where many students were sure to see it.
A few negative reactions were to be expected. An anti-gay sign hung in a dorm room window was removed. Campus authorities also forced a biker who yelled an anti-gay slur to apologize on the livestream. Rumors of a potential protest by the anti-LGBT Westboro Baptist Church could not be substantiated but police took the possibility seriously, sending extra officers to help campus security. WBC did not appear.
Daley and Canciello spent the last hour of their ordeal dancing in place to Lady GaGa as cheers erupted around them from the ever-increasing crowd. At 32 hours, 30 minutes and 45 seconds, they had beaten the record and embraced with one final kiss. Canciello sat down with Daley in his lap and they addressed the livestream. Daley told the internet viewers, “Advocate love, baby! Advocate love!” The two blew kisses and stood up for a final bow to the crowd. Torres yelled, “You guys are heroes!” Tears glistened in Daley’s eyes as the two sank into waiting chairs for well-deserved massages from their supporters.
After the event, Daley told OIJ, “I’m exhausted and a little overwhelmed.” All he wanted was “a ginger ale and a nap.” Canciello smiled and added that he needed “a water and a nice bed.” They were happy with their success and with the reaction of the TCNJ campus. The only real surprise, they said, was when the school sprinklers accidentally came on, spraying the two in the beginning hours of their kiss. Daley said that “the last three hours” were the worst part. In order to keep awake and alert, “We listened to music and audio books and people talked to us to keep us awake,” Canciello said. Canciello added, “I never thought I could do anything like this.” These two college students have proven that love will always overcome hatred and prejudice.
