My high-school sweet-heart just got married.
Richard and I went to the prom together, and hung out and dated until I moved to the LA area in 1978.
We were two days apart in age. We used to joke that we would get married on the day between our 30th birthdays.
At his sister's wedding, I danced with his father who indicated he would be very happy if Richard and I married. I replied, "We're too good of friends to mess it up with marriage."
My father told me, "Richard's a very nice boy, but just remember, he's [ethnicity]" Yes, my father was a bigot.
My mother told me, "Richard's a very nice boy, but remember, he's [religion]" My mother was a religious bigot. (I got back at her by marrying a jack Mormon)
What my parents didn't know (and at that time, Richard's parents didn't know either) was that Richard is gay. He came out to me the summer after our second year of college. We had dated the first year, broken up when I went to school abroad, and re-connected when I came back to the States. His coming out to me made our friendship that much deeper. We enjoyed each other's company. We went to plays, to movies, to gay bars, we had FUN. I was his cover. That was when we came up with the idea of marriage between our 30th's. Clearly, if neither of us had found a man we wanted to spend the rest of our life with, we would spend it together.
Then Richard met John. John and Richard were like two halves of a whole. They FIT together. They were an ideal couple. My female roommate and I were their "dates" when straight social situations arose. After all, this was the late 1970's. Gays were beginning to flex their power, but middle-class social norms were still honored.
Two years later, I got married.
Richard and John have been together all this time. The world around us has changed in many ways. They no longer have to "pretend" on social occasions. But still, although they were a couple, they could not marry.
Today, they got married.
I am SO happy. Their love has held them together for over 30 years. Now, legally the relationship between them is equal to what I have with my husband.
Happy, happy wedding day, Richard and John. Your love has stood the test of time and prejudice. May you have many, many years of wedded bliss.