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Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams Share Tongue-Touching Selfie from Lake Tahoe Vacation

Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams are letting their tongues do the talking in Lake Tahoe.

The Modern Family star, 28, shared a sweet set of photos to Instagram Wednesday showing off a recent trip she took with Bachelorette alum boyfriend Wells Adams, 34.

“Being annoyingly cute in #laketahoe with @wellsadams,” she wrote, adding a heart emoji and a rose emoji.

Wells Adams, Sarah Hyland

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The first photo featured the couple, wearing matching red coats, smiling and touching tongues, while the second showed a kiss.

A third snap saw the lovebirds with their backs to the camera and arms outstretched checking out the view over the lake.

Adams had a little fun with the first photo, commenting, “I triple dog dare you to put your tongue on that!”

Sarah Hyland, Wells Adams

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RELATED: Sarah Hyland Cracks Joke About Khloé Kardashian’s Alleged Cheating Drama with Tristan Thompson

Hyland and Adams frequently gush over one another on social media, and on Valentine’s Day each shared a cute message for the other.

“With you I feel like I’m on top of the world & I’ll always catch you if you fall… no matter how high we climb,” Hyland wrote. “I love you to Pluto & back @wellsadams. I am so grateful and appreciate of everything you do for me.”

Adams, meanwhile, wrote, “Hey @sarahhyland, will you be my Valentine? I love you +1 more than anything you say.”

RELATED: How Wells Adams Supports Sarah Hyland Through Her Health Issues: ‘He’s Seen Me at My Worst’

The actress recently opened up about just how supportive Adams was after she underwent a second kidney transplant in 2017, soon after they started dating.

“He’s seen me at my worst. He was there through all of that. I think that’s why I feel the most beautiful in his eyes, because he still finds me beautiful after seeing all that,” she told SELF magazine in December.

She noted that it was an unconventional way to begina relationship, but that their love has only blossomed since.

RELATED VIDEO: Sarah Hyland Says She Would ‘Write’ Mental Suicidal Letters to Loved Ones Amid Chronic Heath Battle

RELATED: Sarah Hyland on Moving in with Boyfriend Wells Adams: ‘We’re in the Honeymoon Phase’

“It was a really intimate start to a relationship to have to go through those hurdles at the very, very, very beginning when you’re just even getting to know a person,” she said. “Also, falling in love with someone before you can really be intimate. I did not believe that that was a thing, but it is.”

The couple moved in together in Los Angeles this past summer.

“I think it’s brought us closer,” Hyland told PEOPLE in August. “I don’t think it’s been long enough to discover pet peeves with each other.”

“I think we’re in the honeymoon phase of living together,” she added. “He’s more anal and cleaner than I am, so it’s great for me!”

LGBT+ Africans optimistic as Kenya set to rule on decrimalizing gay sex

NAIROBI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - There is a quiet air of excitement at the offices of the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC), as the countdown draws closer to Friday when a much-awaited ruling by Kenya’s High Court could make history.

The charity has fought hundreds of cases of abuse against sexual minorities in Kenya’s courts, but the verdict on whether to scrap British colonial-era laws criminalizing gay sex is undoubtedly their most eagerly anticipated case.

“We are excited and cautiously optimistic - but optimistic nonetheless,” Lelei Cheruto from NGLHRC, one of the groups petitioning the court to decriminalize gay sex, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“A positive ruling will mean sexual minorities in Kenya will have the freedom to exist. It will be a step toward their inclusion in society. We feel we have a very solid case.”

Homosexuality is taboo in the East African nation and persecution of sexual minorities is rife. Under sections of Kenya’s penal code, gay sex - or “carnal knowledge against the order of nature” - is punishable by up to 14 years in jail.

Campaigners say the laws have long promoted homophobia in the largely conservative Christian country - and are used daily to persecute and discriminate against sexual minorities.

They face prejudice in getting jobs, renting housing or seeking medical care or education.

Hate crimes like blackmail, extortion, physical and sexual assault are common - but most are too fearful to go to the police due to their sexual orientation, say rights groups.

A positive judgment would not only give rights and dignity to sexual minorities in Kenya, say campaigners, but will inject impetus into battles being waged by persecuted LGBT+ people Africa wide.

“People across the continent are watching the Kenyan case very closely,” said Anthony Oluoch from Pan Africa ILGA, a global charity advocating for the rights of sexual minorities.

“There are laws in many African countries that criminalize same-sex relationships, so if we get a positive ruling in Kenya it will give hope to the continent.”

#LOVEISHUMAN

Same-sex relationships are a crime in more than 70 countries around the world, almost half of them in Africa. South Africa is the only African nation to have legalized gay marriage.

The law against gay sex in Kenya - sections 162 and 165 - was introduced during British rule more than 120 years ago.

In 2010, Kenya adopted its new constitution, which provides for equality, human dignity and freedom from discrimination. Petitioners now want the sections of the law repealed, saying they violate constitutional rights.

The Kenyan government, backed by powerful Christian groups, however is opposed to scrapping the ban on gay sex, have argued during court hearings last year that it will lead to same-sex marriage.

A three-judge bench of the High Court is expected to give its verdict on Feb. 22. Both sides can appeal against the ruling in higher courts.

Since the date of the ruling was announced in October, LGBT+ activists across the world have been counting down the days on social media with hash tags such as #WeAreAllKenyans, #LoveIsHuman and #Repeal162.

“This judgment has real potential to change the lived experience of hundreds of thousands of people in Kenya,” said Tea Braun, director of the UK-based campaign group, the Human Dignity Trust.

“A positive verdict will declare that LGBT+ people are not criminals. It will be a reckoning for society where Kenya will show the world that it upholds the principals of freedom, liberty and justice.”

Campaigners say their optimism is justified - pointing to recent progressive rulings by courts as well as governments across the world supporting the rights of LGBT+ people - which they believe Kenya’s judges will consider.

In September, for example, India’s Supreme Court threw out similar colonial-era legislation in a landmark ruling in the world’s largest democracy.

While last month, the Angolan government shed the “vices against nature” provision in its law, which was widely interpreted to be a ban on homosexual conduct.

The fact these moves came from countries in the developing world - which Kenyans can easily identify with - rather than Western nations which are often blamed for “importing homosexuality”, should lie in their favor, say petitioners.

There has even been progress at home, they add, citing a ruling by Kenya’s Court of Appeal in March which found it illegal to force people suspected of being homosexual to undergo anal examinations.

REINVIGORATING AFRICA

A positive ruling will have wider implications across Africa, which has some of the most prohibitive laws against homosexuality in the world, say campaigners.

Same-sex relationships are considered taboo and are a crime across most of the continent, with punishments ranging from imprisonment to death.

A 2017 report by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) found 33 African countries, out of a total of 54, criminalize same sex relations.

The persecution of LGBT+ Africans is also widespread, with sexual minorities routinely being abused, blackmailed, assaulted by mobs, or even raped by police or vigilantes.

“Kenya is an important and influential country in Africa and there has been a lot of conversation around the continent about the court case,” said Bisi Alimi, a Nigerian gay rights activist who was forced to flee persecution and seek asylum in Britain.

“It would be a huge inspiration and a morale boost to LGBT+ people across Africa. It will reinvigorate LGBT+ rights campaigns in many countries. People will feel more emboldened to talk about their sexuality and fight for their rights.”

A positive verdict will also influence court decisions in countries like Botswana where the top court is set to rule on overturning similar legislation in March, campaigners add.

Petitioners, however, acknowledge there is likely to be a long road ahead - whether the ruling is in their favor, or not. Both sides have the option to take the case before the Court of Appeal and further to the Supreme Court.

They also admit that even if same-sex relations are decriminalized, challenges in changing deep-rooted homophobic attitudes in society remain.

“We are aware things aren’t going to change overnight and discrimination and persecution are likely to persist for years to come,” said Cheruto, adding that sustained advocacy and public awareness campaigns would be needed to sensitize people.

“It’s been a long journey already, but we are prepared for the road ahead - no matter how difficult it may be.”

Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, Editing by Jason Fields. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit news.trust.org

Latest location of California bikini-barista coffee shop encounters criticism: 'Just disgusting'

Scantily-clad baristas to cover up at coffee shop

When a new ‘Pink Pantherz’ was set to debut in San Mateo California, residents objected. The café prominently features bikini and lingerie-clad baristas. After the uproar the store is getting a new dress code.

The opening of a new bikini-barista coffee stand in California’s Bay Area is drawing the eyes – and the ire – of nearby residents.

The latest location of Pink Pantherz Espresso, a coffee chain that employs bikini- or lingerie-clad servers, is being criticized as “disgusting” and “disrespectful” after opening up in Campbell last weekend, KPIX reports.

LOOK: BIKINI BARISTAS IN WASHINGTON APPEAL CITY ORDINANCE ON DRESS CODE

“Right in between two elementary schools, a day care…? Just disgusting,” one woman wrote on a community forum, according to the outlet.

Another resident told Mercury News “they shouldn’t be here,” claiming she was “worried about the customers it attracts.”

This type of backlash, however, isn’t entirely new for Pink Pantherz. Ahead of the grand opening of its Redwood City stand in September, the chain said servers employed at that location would wear tank tops and shorts as part of an agreement the owners made with San Mateo County. The coffee chain also renamed some of the edgier items on the menu, including its “Bootycall” and “Pantydropper” drinks.

The owner, Jose Carmona, has reportedly extended some of those same courtesies to the Campbell location as well, including more coverage for servers’ rear ends, and changing some of the more controversial names of its menu items.

Still, some residents aren’t pleased, with one telling KPIX the idea is “disrespectful for women.”

“It’s just using women as an object; sexual object, in this case,” she added.

'FIXER UPPER' STARS ANNOUNCE PLANS TO OPEN COFFEE SHOP

Not everyone in Campbell is upset about the new Pink Pantherz, though. Multiple residents who spoke with local outlets didn’t seem to care, with two noting that the servers are not visible from the street, but rather only when a customer drives up to the window.

The manager of the Campbell location has also noted that the women working at the shop knew of the dress code before applying.

“All the girls that work here, they know what they’re signing up for. Go work in an office — there is somewhat of a dress code there too,” Sarah Perrin told Mercury News.

Meanwhile, Carmona confirmed to the outlet that his attorneys are working with city officials in order to obtain permission for servers to wear more revealing bottoms.

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The backlash over Pink Pantherz’s latest location follows news of bikini-baristas in Washington fighting against an ordinance that requires they refrain from showing “anal cleft” at a place of work. An attorney for chain operating in Everett subsequently stated that it would take “advanced math” to figure out the court’s definition of such a cleft, and a final ruling is pending.