diff --git a/AUTHORS b/AUTHORS
index 63b88b625b..69a0dfb3d9 100644
--- a/AUTHORS
+++ b/AUTHORS
@@ -222,6 +222,7 @@ answer newbie questions, and generally made Django that much better:
     rhettg@gmail.com
     Henrique Romano <onaiort@gmail.com>
     Armin Ronacher
+    Brian Rosner <brosner@gmail.com>
     Oliver Rutherfurd <http://rutherfurd.net/>
     Ivan Sagalaev (Maniac) <http://www.softwaremaniacs.org/>
     Vinay Sajip <vinay_sajip@yahoo.co.uk>
diff --git a/django/contrib/comments/templatetags/comments.py b/django/contrib/comments/templatetags/comments.py
index 5c02c16f95..756ab9c93b 100644
--- a/django/contrib/comments/templatetags/comments.py
+++ b/django/contrib/comments/templatetags/comments.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ from django import template
 from django.template import loader
 from django.core.exceptions import ObjectDoesNotExist
 from django.contrib.contenttypes.models import ContentType
+from django.utils.encoding import smart_str
 import re
 
 register = template.Library()
@@ -174,6 +175,7 @@ class DoCommentForm:
             if tokens[4] != 'with':
                 raise template.TemplateSyntaxError, "Fourth argument in %r tag must be 'with'" % tokens[0]
             for option, args in zip(tokens[5::2], tokens[6::2]):
+                option = smart_str(option)
                 if option in ('photos_optional', 'photos_required') and not self.free:
                     # VALIDATION ##############################################
                     option_list = args.split(',')