Publisher:
Dreamspinner Press
Authors:
B.G.
Thomas
J.
Scott Coatsworth
Jamie
Fessenden
Michael
Murphy
Cover
Artist: Reese Dante
Length: 104K
/ 350 Pages
Format:
eBook, Paperback
Release
Date: 6/26/16
Pairing:
MM
Blurbs
On June
26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States made a monumental
decision, and at long last, marriage equality became the law of the land. That
ruling made history, and now gay and lesbian Americans will grow up
in a country where they will never be denied the right to marry the
person they love.
But what
about the gay men who waited and wondered all of their lives if the day would
ever come when they could stand beside the person they love and say “I
do”?
Here,
four accomplished authors—married gay men—offer their take on that question as
they explore same-sex relationships, love, and matrimony. Men who thought legal
marriage was aright they would never have. Men who, unbelievably, now
stand legally joined with the men they love. With this book, they share the
magic and excitement of dreams that came true—in tales of fantasy and romance
with a dose of their personal experiences in the mix.
To
commemorate the anniversary of full marriage equality in the US, this anthology
celebrates the idea of marriage itself—and the universal truth of it
that applies to us all, gay or straight.
Someday, by B.G. Thomas
Lucas
Arrowood is walking to school on his first day of kindergarten when he meets
Dalton Churchill—a boy who stops and helps him tie his shoe. He knows from that
moment he is going to marry that boy one day. “Boys can’t marry other
boys,” his mother explains, but that doesn’t stop Lucas. He knows what he
wants.
He and
Dalton become best friends—and then, no matter how much he resists, Dalton
falls in love with Lucas. Dalton's very conservative family can't accept that
their boy loves another boy, but finally Dalton stands up for love and for
Lucas. Still, he declares he won't marry Lucas until it is legal everywhere. He
hates the “Commitment Ceremonies” gay men have. They aren’t the real thing. Why
bother?
So Lucas
waits for his day. The day same-sex marriage finally becomes legal and he can
be joined forever with the love of his life.
Flames, by J. Scott Coatsworth
Alex and
Gio had a big fight, and Alex ran away. Then a fire at home destroyed the life
they had built together, and threatened to take Gio away from him.
Alex had
always thought love was enough to keep them together. Why did they need wedding
rings or legal certificates? But now, with Gio lost in a coma, his mother has
banished Alex from his side.
What if
Alex’s voice is the only thing that can bring Gio back from the brink? Their
memories are all Gio has left, and the urge to just let go is getting stronger.
Still,
nothing can keep Alex from Gio's side. If it’s against the rules, he’ll break
them. In stolen moments alone together, Alex fights to bring him back, one
memory at a time.
Destined, by Jamie Fessenden
When Jay and Wallace first meet at an LGBTQ group, they
have no idea they’ll be dating six years later. In fact, they quickly forget
each other’s names. But although fate continues to throw them together, the
timing is never quite right. Finally they’re both single and realize they want to be together… but now
they can’t find each other! With determination and the help of mutual friends,
Jay and Wallace can finally pursue the relationship they’ve both wanted for so
long.
It’s only the beginning of the battles they’ll face to
build a life together.
From disapproving family members all the way to the state
legislature, Jay and Wallace’s road to happily ever after is littered with
obstacles. But they’ve come too far to give up the fight.
Jeordi and Tom, by Michael Murphy
Living
as an open, loving gay couple in the rural South isn’t easy—even today.
When
Jeordi and Tom move in together and come out to their families, Jeordi's family
does not take the news especially well. When yelling doesn’t work, they send in
one sibling after another to try to separate the couple. When that fails, they
call out their pastor to help Jeordi see the error of his ways. But Jeordi’s
love for Tom is greater than anything they throw at them.
When an
accident sends Jeordi to the hospital, his family goes too far when they try to
keep Tom from visiting his partner. Jeordi and Tom are determined to do
everything in their power to gain legal protection so this can never happen
again. But when a bigoted county clerk refuses to issue them a marriage
license, Jeordi decides a big, bold effort is called for, which is precisely
what he sets in moVon so no one can ever separate him from Tom again.
Excerpts
Someday, by B.G. Thomas
“The
first time Lucas Arrowood saw Dalton was on his way to his first day of
kindergarten. His mother was walking him to school, he was very excited, and
his right shoelace was flopping, untied.
“Baby,”
said his mom. “Let’s sit down and try to tie your shoe.”
He
looked up at her, excitement temporarily quashed. He couldn’t do it. Couldn’t
tie his shoe. And he was supposed to be able to. His mother had tried to show
him how—over and over again—but he couldn’t get the laces to go where they were
supposed to go, and it just fell apart. He couldn’t
do it. If his teacher found out, would they make him go home? Would he have to
wait until next year? That would be horrible!
“Hey,
you can do it. It’s easy!”
Lucas
gave a little jump, turned around, and sighed as he looked into the narrow dark
eyes of the most beautiful human being he had ever seen.
“Want me
to help?” the boy asked, flipping his mop of dark brown hair out of his eyes
with a toss of his head. “I taught a bunch of kids last year when I was in
kindergarten.”
A bunch
of kids hadn’t known how to tie their shoes? That perked up his ears. Lucas
looked up at his mother.
She
smiled. “Do you want him to help?”
Then he
realized something. He did want the
boy to help him. He thought he would do anything
the boy wanted him to do, even ask his mom to take the training wheels off his
bike (which was a big scary because he was afraid of falling and getting
hurt!).
“Sit
down,” said the boy, pointing to the landscaping wall along the sidewalk.”
Lucas
sat.
“What’s
your name?” asked Lucas’s mother.
“Dalton
Churchill. Like Winston Churchill.
Only it’s Dalton.”
He
smiled, and Lucas knew Dalton was the
most beautiful boy on the planet.
“Who’s
Winston Churchill?” Lucas asked.
Dalton
shrugged and got down on one knee before Lucas. “I don’t know. I think he’s a
minister. Okay, now, first you pull your laces up and then cross them over,
like this.” Dalton demonstrated.
“I can
tie a knot,” Lucas said, wanting very much not to look like a complete dope in
front of Dalton. Then he frowned. “It’s the other part I get mixed up on.”
“That’s
cool,” Dalton said, tying the knot. “Okay…. So here’s the tricky part. First
you make a loop and stick it up so it looks like a tree—see?”
Lucas
nodded. He wasn’t sure the upward turned loop looked much like a tree, but he
wasn’t going to tell Dalton that.
“Then
you take the other lace and wrap it around the bottom like this—like a dog
running around the tree.”
Lucas
smiled. “My neighbor has a dog. His name is Super Mario.”
“That’s
a great name,” Dalton said, laughing.
Then he
finished showing Lucas how to tie his shoe.
“Wow,”
Lucas said.
But then
Dalton untied the shoe.
“Hey!”
cried Lucas.
“Now you
do it,” Dalton said. He nodded. “You can. I know
you can. Easy.”
Lucas
wanted to yell, “No, I can’t!” but he quite suddenly knew he could not
disappoint the pretty boy with the beautiful eyes. He sighed. What had Dalton
said about a tree? He made a loop with one of the laces.
“Just
like that, but the other one. Unless you’re a southpaw.”
Lucas
looked up through his own dark bangs. “Huh?”
“Southpaw
means left-handed.”
“Oh!”
Lucas giggled. “I’m not.”
“Tree!”
Dalton ordered, brows knitted together.
So Lucas
made a loop with his shoelace.
“Yes!”
Dalton said with such enthusiasm Lucas would have thought he’d ridden down to
the corner and back on his bike without training wheels. He laughed and then
thought about dogs running around the base of trees. A moment later, Lucas had
tied his shoe. His mother clapped.
“Yes,”
shouted Dalton. “I knew you could do
it, Lucas.”
Dalton
walked the rest of the way to school with them. But even better, he also
promised to walk Lucas to school the next day.
Flames, by J. Scott Coatsworth
Monday, September 27
There
was only this moment. This place. Alex holding Gio's hand, gently because of
the burns on the back of Gio's arm and hand. The sounds of the breathing
machine came in regular soft sighs.
The
little green box held in Alex's other hand--and all it symbolized between them.
All
their life together had shrunk down to this moment, this place, this plea.
"Please wake up, Gio. Amore mio, svegliati."
Sunday, September 12. Two weeks
earlier
Alex was
late getting home, and he was in a foul mood from the long, difficult day at
work. One of the properties he'd made a bid on had fallen through, and another
client had all but called him a bald-faced liar.
He was
looking forward to getting home, taking a long hot shower, then crawling into
bed.
Alex was
startled to find a whole meal, complete with wine and candles, laid out on
their dining room table. Gio must have spent the whole day cooking.
Alex was
late. He'd been delayed with his angry client, and to make matters worse, his
phone had up and died halfway through the afternoon and he'd been without his
car charger."
"He
was already annoyed when he walked in the door.
"Welcome
home, amore," Gio called from
the kitchen.
"I
had a hell of a day...." He caught a whiff of whatever Gio was cooking.
"Come
sit down. I've got everything ready."
The
dining room looked like a Martha Stewart production of a telenovella
Thanksgiving. "I'm sorry. I'm not really hungry. Things were the shits at
work today."
"Sorry
to hear that. Have a seat." Gio grabbed his elbow and urged him toward his
chair. "Food makes everything better."
Alex was
starting to get annoyed. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm not hungry. I just want
to wash up--"
"That's
just the job talking." Gio took his arm again.
"Knock
it off! I'm not in the mood tonight."
Gio
looked hurt, but Alex plowed on, too incensed to stop.
"This
isn't some kind of June and Ward Cleaver relationship."
"I
just--"
"You
have to let go of your stupid, unrealistic expectations of me and this
relationship."
Gio
frowned. "That's bullshit, and you know it. Just because you had a bad day
at work, there's no reason to take it out on me."
He was
right. But Alex couldn't admit it. "Just leave me the fuck alone," he
said, grabbing his phone charger and storming out. He'd find somewhere else to
sleep tonight."
Destined, by Jamie Fessenden
1999
Doug had
seemed terrific when Jay first met him. He was funny, attentive, good in bed,
and Jay’s family thought he was great. At family gatherings, that is—not in
bed. They were living together in short order.
But after
two years, things weren’t going so well. They’d moved to Dover, which allowed
Jay to get back in touch with some of his college friends, but their
relationship seemed to grow rockier by the day. They fought constantly, though
Jay was never really sure what they were fighting about. They just didn’t… fit
anymore.
But still
he tried. Jay was nothing if not stubborn.
His ties
to the pagan/Wiccan world had long ago faded away, since Doug thought that
stuff was weird and creepy. In fact, his ties to anything outside the tech
industry had pretty much withered to nothing. He worked long hours, during
which he thought about nothing but computers and switches and routers. It paid
well, and raises were frequent, so he was caught up in the game his coworkers
played—pushing for promotions or transfers every six months to a year in order
to get salary increases. Like his coworkers, he had an E*TRADE account and
spent time between support calls attempting to build a stock portfolio. He had
the sense not to gamble the small amount of savings he had, but it was a fun
game to play.
But he was
unsatisfied. He couldn’t quite put a finger on why until one Saturday, when he
was sitting at Café on the Corner and his friend, Steve, happened by. Steve had
been part of the medieval reenactment group Jay hung out with in college, and
apparently he was still involved with them.
“Michaelmas
is coming up,” Steve pointed out, referring to one of the large feasts the
group “put on every year. “It’s going to be at the Unitarian Church. You should
come.”
Jay
couldn’t see that happening. He no longer had any of his medieval “garb,” and
Doug was likely to turn his nose up at the idea of hanging out with a bunch of
reenactors all day.
Jay said diplomatically,
“I’ll think about it.”
“Well, at
least stop by the monthly Wiccan group. Julie’s usually there, and Mark. A
whole bunch of the old crowd. That’s tomorrow. Same place.”
It would
be nice to see some of them. And Doug was working on Sunday. “That might be
fun.”
“Are you
still writing?”
He wasn’t.
Jay had written a lot of science fiction stories in college, and he’d talked
about getting published one day. But that, like everything else he’d enjoyed in
those days, seemed like nothing more than a dream he’d once had, barely
remembered.
This
conversation was getting depressing.
“So,” he
asked, trying to change the subject, “do you still sing?”
Steve
grinned with excitement. “Yeah, man! My band is putting together our second CD.
It’s gonna be awesome!”
The more
he talked about his life, the more it became clear Steve was barely scraping by
financially. But he was doing what he loved, and he seemed just as happy with
his life as he’d been in college. Jay, on the other hand, had plenty of money.
He had a career now, a boyfriend, a new car, and a nice apartment. He’d thought
he was doing okay, but now he realized exactly why he’d been feeling so uneasy.
His life had veered off course. In just five years, he’d lost touch with
everything that had been fun and creative in himself. He was no longer Jay.
And he
missed himself.
Jeordi and Tom, by Michael Murphy
“When the
front door of the trailer slammed shut with a loud bang, followed immediately
by an animalistic howl of rage and frustration, Tom knew Jeordi was home. He
snickered and shook his head.
“Hey,
babe,” Tom called out. “I forgot this was the day you were going to visit your
parents. It went that well, huh?”
One glance
at his boyfriend told Tom all he needed to know. Despite the scowl and look of
anger and frustration on Jeordi’s face, it only took one glance at the man to
ignite the most sensitive parts of his nervous system (and everything connected
to it).
He
couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Jeordi. He wasn’t handsome in the New
York runway model sense, but was handsome in the real man sense. Jeordi turned
heads every time he walked down the street, although he consistently missed the
many glances people cast his way.
All Jeordi
saw when he looked at himself was that he wasn’t tall, and he felt his ears
were too big. Tom daily told Jeordi that he was the most studly man he’d ever
known—and he quietly gave thanks that the man was all his.
Tom felt
two strong hands wrap around his waist as he stood at the sink in their
kitchen. Carefully setting down the dish he’d been washing, he leaned his head
back against his boyfriend’s solid shoulder, brushing his smooth cheek against
Jeordi’s fuzzy cheek—fuzzy not from a beard but from a strong five o’clock
shadow the man dependably had every day by late afternoon. Jeordi hated it, but
Tom loved it and loved rubbing one part or another of his body over the
stubble.
“Love you,
babe,” Tom whispered. “I’m glad you’re home.”
“Why?” Jeordi
whispered into Tom’s ear.”
“Why? Why?
Why do I keep subjecting myself to the same crap?”
“So, they
didn’t throw their arms open and tell you they’ve joined PFLAG and ask for your
advice on what to wear in the next Pride Day parade?”
Jeordi
snorted. “Um, that would be a great big no.”
“What did
they do this time?” Tom asked.
“Prayed—and
then some. They tried to have some kind of healing service to rid me of the
evil that had ‘grabbed hold’ of me, to quote my mother. They said they needed
to cast the devil out of my body.”
“Oh, isn’t
that special,” Tom joked.
“Not so
much,” Jeordi disagreed.
“Was it
just your parents?”
“Oh, no.
That’s what made this one more frustrating. They had their minister there. He
brought a backup minister—poor kid looked freaked out just being in the same
room with a known homosexual. Don’t know what he thought was going to happen.”
“They
upped the ante, I see,” Tom said.
“Oh,
there’s more,” Jeordi said.
“More?”
“Hell,
yes. They had some of my more uptight brothers there with them this time.”
“They
succeeded in getting any of your brothers to be in the same room at the same
time? How the hell did they swing that one?”
“Don’t
know. Must have been one hell of a bribe. They, of course, brought their wives,
I guess to show me how a good strong Christian heterosexual marriage works.
They pissed me off so much I slipped and asked Beau how he could take part in
something like that when he’d been off screwing half the women in the county.
He didn’t appreciate it. I guess his wife didn’t know he was a hound dog she
needed to keep on a tighter leash.”
Tom
stopped what he was doing and dropped his head back, deep in thought. “Hmm,
your brother Beau would look damned good in a collar—and naked,” he said. “Now,
if you maybe added a blindfold, put him on his knees with his hands cuffed
behind his back—now that’s just freaking hot. Maybe I should call his wife and
give her a few suggestions. How do you think she’d take that? I’d be doing it
strictly to help her out since I doubt she’d ever come up with an idea like
that on her own. And of course I’d need to be there to help her, you know, to
consult.”
“Don’t go
there,” Jeordi warned with a chuckle. Beau was beautiful, but unfortunately he
knew it and wasn’t at all opposed to spreading his beauty around to any and all
women who’d have him. “At least that got the two of them out of the whole
ritualistic crap my mother had planned for the weekly visit.”
“Two down,
ten to go,” Tom said.
Tom turned
around and wrapped his arms around Jeordi, kissing his neck. “I love you,
babe,” he whispered into Jeordi’s ear as he held tightly to his man.
“I’m so
glad you do. My family certainly doesn’t.”
“Oh, they
love you. They just don’t understand it because the playing field has changed
since you came out,” Tom said.
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4.5 out of 5 stars
A More Perfect Union is an anthology celebrating love between two men and their right to finally marry the ones that complete their lives. This anthology releases on the anniversary of marriage equality awarded by the Supreme Court on 06/26/2015 during Obergefell vs Hodges.
The first story in the anthology is Flames by J. Scott Coatsworth. This is the story of long term couple Alex and Gio. Alex fiercely loves Gio but they have very different ideas when it comes to marriage. Gio very much wants to marry Alex, and has asked him once before. Alex on the other hand doesn't think that they need a piece of paper to prove their love to each other. A devastating fire at their home injures Gio and makes Alex rethink his perspective. The story after the fire continues in flashbacks of Alex and Gio's love story finally leading up to Gio coming out of his coma and leading to their very happy ending.
Alex is not the most likeable character, at first, but his love for Gio is so strong that you can't help but change your mind. Gio is his world and he is Gio's world. I loved seeing their relationship in the flashbacks and loved their fairytale ending.
The next is Jeordi and Tom by Michael Murphy. They are the complete opposite of the first story. Tom and Jeordi are just starting out, two young men living in conservative Kentucky, just moved in together, both working minimum wage jobs but they have each other. Jeordi's family keeps trying to split them up, every single time they see Jeordi. One day on the way to work Jeordi's bike is hit by a car causing him to end up in the hospital. His family is called and things go to hell after that. They attempt to stop Tom from seeing Jeordi even though Jeordi is conscious and asking for him. Hearing the ruckus outside his ER room, Jeordi stops the doctor and goes to get Tom, and basically telling his family to go to hell in the end. This sparks their quest to get married, both for protection from what happened at the hospital, but mostly because they realize they are each other's one and only.
This is one of those sweet stories that you could read over and over again. I loved the older couple that steps in on their journey to getting married, and their sharing their wisdom, time, and help to make it a reality for Tom and Jeordi. They may be a young couple starting out but they realize their journey may never be easy living where they live and that earned them a special spot. I'd love to see a catch up story for these two 5-10 years in the future just for where they end up in life.
The third story is Destined by Jamie Fessenden and follows Jay and Wallace as they meet back in the early 90s on three separate occasions with the final time as their right time. They date exclusively off and on for many years, blending their lives together but not taking the next step, until finally they move in together. They eventually marry in this awesome Victorian-esque ceremony that's a mix of pagan and secular with their friends and most of their family in attendance.
I totally loved this story because both Jay and Wallace were characters I could easily relate to. Wallace doubted he'd ever find someone just for him, and then he and Jay connected their final time and it was all that they could both ask for, even if it took a while to get to their HEA. I enjoyed the way they interacted with each other, their search for their house, and their dog, and the preparations for their wedding. It all led up to a really fun, and sweet story.
The final story is Someday by B.G. Thomas. This starts out with a very precocious Lucas telling his mother after the first day of kindergarten that one day he is going to marry his new friend Dalton. His mom laughs it off and tells him that boys can't marry boys but Lucas is insistent that someday it will be possible and he will do it. The story goes on following the boys through adolescence, and their teenage years with Lucas and Dalton having moments that Dalton pushes aside saying he's not gay. Eventually Lucas faces that he may never have Dalton because he's straight and trying to move forward with his life. Not until the night of prom when Dalton finally admits to Lucas that he wants to be with him. They face so many other things including Dalton's family, and then the rest of their lives kind of fall into place after college.
I really liked watching these two grow from innocent little boys, into the strong men that they finally become. Their friendship being the backbone of their relationship until it was the right time gave the story that extra bit of depth. I will admit that there were a few times that I wanted to smack Dalton but he redeemed himself well with the night of Lucas's prom and their journey afterward.
This was a delightful anthology with just the right stories to showcase marriage equality and the reason so many fought to have the option to marry and be with the ones they loved legally. I highly recommend this book for so many reasons but the most important one is simply Love is Love and these stories get that perfectly.
Thanks
for allowing us to stop by Wicked Faerie for our tour for “A More Perfect
Union”, a new anthology of stories about same sex marriage and marriage
equality by four gay, married men. Together, we have a combined 21 years of
marriage, and 88 years together as couples.
The
four of us answered the following questions for you:
Why is marriage
important to you?
BG Thomas:
I
grew up most romantic with great ideas of how I would get married.
Then
I figured out I was gay.
And
boys can’t marry boys.
When
I was in my early twenties I went to a few “gay weddings.” Some were quite
spectacular affairs. Decades later I remember one where one of the guys, who
was quite fem, wore a lavender tuxedo and women’s lavender boots. I was
enthralled.
And
cried because it wasn’t legal. It was just pretend.
So
when it became legal? YES! I wanted to get married! Because as real as the
ceremony Raymond and I had back in ’05 was, it wasn’t “legal.” I tried to
convince myself that it was only “a piece of paper.” But I knew it was more.
It
was magick. It was power.
There
is power in our words. And power in ink upon paper. It is legal. And it is
more. Much much much more.
It
is NOT sitting in the back of the bus. It is not drinking out of a different
drinking fountain. It is not being second class. It is not having to spend
thousands and thousands of dollars to get the same rights as a straight couple
got out of a $20 marriage license.
It
is acceptance. It is validation. Even if there are a lot of KKKers that don’t like
it.
And
yes! In the end, only I can accept myself or validate myself.
But
that piece of paper meant Raymond and I were LEGAL!
It
meant that a company had to give me medical insurance through my husband. It
meant I had a right to his social security. It meant my family couldn’t sweep
in and take everything that was in my name and kick Raymond out. It meant a
hospital couldn’t keep either of us out of ICU in case something seriously
medical happened.
And
it meant that “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more
perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of
Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution
for the United States of America.”
And
I am a citizen of the United States of America! And I am human! And I deserve
the same rights as any human.
And
now, at least on paper, I do.
Which
is why I named our anthology, “A More Perfect Union.” What could be more
perfect than that?
What
could be more perfect than love?
Michael Murphy:
The
quest for equality took such a major hit when AIDS appeared on the scene, but
tremendous strides forward occurred over the last ten to fifteen years, making marriage
equality a reality.
Since
marriage had never been an option open to me or other men or women of my age,
it had just been something that had been another in a long list of things that
were off the table for me. When marriage became a legal reality where we live
in Washington, DC, we immediately went to the courthouse and got a license so
we could get married as quickly as possible. We both feared some political
maneuvering to derail the decision in the District of Columbia, since all local
governance has to be reviewed by Congress. Nothing took place, but we
wanted the legal protections that accompanied marriage.
For
years we had had to provide inferior protections for our partners by spending
vast sums of money on lawyers to craft durable powers of attorney, orders
allowing for hospital visitations, and wills to be sure that our partners were
protected. It is such a tremendous relief to know that those work-arounds are
no longer necessary and now marriage is marriage is marriage.
J. Scott Coatsworth:
As
an adult, I took a more prosaic stance - marriage was about the rights and
responsibilities. And we shouldn't be barred form those because of who we chose
to love.
Then
I stood up in front of friends and family on November 1st, 2008, and said my
vows, and the words I do. And everything changed.
Marriage
is about making a commitment to one another that's bigger than the two of you.
But it's also about recognition. The recognition of your parents and family and
friends. And the recognition of the government that you are a couple, and that
you have pledged yourselves to one another.
Marriage
has made us into stronger, better versions of our single selves. And although
our opponents accused us of trying to destroy marriage, I think we as gay men honor
the institution of marriage by becoming a part of it.
Jamie Fessenden
Marriage
is important because it is one of the rights society grants human beings.
Traditionally, one of the first rights taken away from people when they are
enslaved or imprisoned, is control over when they can and cannot have sex,
marry, and have children. If you want to know if you're truly a citizen in your
country, check to see if you can legally marry, adopt children, and have sex
without being arrested. LGBT men and women have not had these rights, and we're
still fighting for them. We are not citizens until we have them in full.
Did you always want
to get married?
BG Thomas:
Of
course I always wanted to get married! I was a little gay boy long long long
before I knew I was a gay boy. And who knows why so many gay boys (at least in
my generation) loved Judy Garland and Cher and Lily Tomlin without even being
told that “fags” are supposed to like them? I just did. No secret messages fed
to me through fortune cookies or the decoder ring on cereal boxes. I loved
them.
When
Judy Garland died I was nine years old and I bawled! And Mom didn’t know why. I
remember her being shocked. Sure Judy Garland was in “The Wizard of Oz,” but so
what? At nine the only other thing I had seen her in was “The Pirate” where she
sang “Be a Clown” with Gene Kelly. But there was another…. It was some concert
on TV where she sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” with such passion and tears
that even at that age my heart broke. I somehow knew she was telling ME
something.
Guess
what? Judy Garland died June 22, 1969. The Stonewall Riot happened on June 28,
1969.
There
are those who believe that it was her death that legions of gay men were in
mourning about that was the final straw that helped bring about that riot. I am
totally serious here. No kidding.
How
did I know that I was “supposed” to like her? But I did! God, did I ever!
Did
I want to get married when I was a kid? Hell yes! I bet as much, if not more
every girl I knew, wanted a big wedding. I never wanted to be in a white gown
like so many gay boys of my generation, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I
wasn’t in awe by Maria’s wedding dress in “The Sound of Music.” Who knows why?
I just did.
Michael Murphy:
As
an older man, I grew up with the idea that two men or two women would never be
allowed to marry. I knew that at some point society would evolve to get
past that, but I didn’t know if that would happen in my lifetime or not.
J. Scott Coatsworth:
As
a gay man, I grew up with the idea that I was different. less than. A second
class citizen. When I came out in the early nineties, it was still a bit dicey
to live as an out gay man. I had a gay friend who got married before I came
out, and I still remember it vividly - the happy couple and three friends snuck
into the bamboo garden and stood in a protective circle, so that no one else
could see what was happening.
That
was marriage equality in 1989 - no officiant, no license, and make sure no one
ever saw what was happening.
Coming
from that background, it was hard to imagine that I would ever be allowed to
marry another man in public, much less legally or even in a church.
And
yet...
Growing
up, gay men are surorunded by images of heterosexual love, sweet and true and
pure. We swim in it, like the rest of the culture, and we learn early on that
true live leads to marriage.
And
then, not too much later, we learn (or we used to) that the marriage door is
bared to us.
So
yes, I always wanted to get married.
Jamie Fessenden
Did
I always want to marry? I suppose so. I've always been a romantic, so I've
always pictured myself in a romance novel, meeting the perfect man and perhaps
having children. The desire to have children faded a long time ago, and I
really don't want that now. But I have always wanted to meet the man meant for
me and settle down with him for the rest of my life.
Author Bios
B.G. Thomas
B.G.
Thomas lives in Kansas City with his husband of more than a decade. They’ve
been married twice. First in 2005—although it wasn’t legal. They jumped the
broom (as well as the sword) and were married in heart in front of their
friends and loved ones. Then in 2014, they flew to Baltimore and made it legal
(and couldn’t have without the help of B.G.’s fans who practically funded the
entire weekend!). He can’t get enough of
seeing that gold wedding band on his hand, even two years later. /react-text
B.G. loves
romance, comedies, fantasy, science fiction, and even horror—as far as he is
concerned, as long as the stories are character driven and entertaining, it
doesn’t matter the genre. He has gone to conventions his entire adult life
where he’s been lucky enough to meet many of his favorite writers. He has made
up stories since he was a child; it is where he finds his joy. /react-text
Excited
about the growing male/male romance market, he submitted a story and was
thrilled when it was accepted in four days. Since then the stories have poured
out of him. “It’s like I’m somehow making up for a lifetime’s worth of
stories!” /react-text
Leap, and
the net will appear” is his personal philosophy and his message to all. “It is
never too late,” he states. “Pursue your dreams. They will come true!”
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bgthomaswriter
Website: https://bthomaswriter.wordpress.com
Scott has been
writing since elementary school. After leaving writing for twenty years, Mark,
his husband, told him “the only one stopping you from writing is you.”
Since then, Scott
has gone back to writing in a big way, finishing more than a dozen short
stories – some new, some that he had started years before – and seeing his
first sale. He’s embarking on a new trilogy, and also runs the Queer
Sci Fi
site, a support group for writers of gay sci fi, fantasy, and supernatural
fiction.
Mark and Scott
have been together for twenty four years. They met at the Pacific Center, an
LGBT center in Berkeley, California, in 1992. They dated for two weeks, and
then Scott moved in with Mark, and the rest is history. They run their own
business together, study Italian, and are almost never found apart.
Website: https://www.jscottcoatsworth.com
Jamie Fessenden
Jamie Fessenden set out to be a writer in junior high school. He published
a couple of short pieces in his high school's literary magazine, but it wasn't
until he met his partner, Erich, almost twenty years later, that he began
writing again in earnest. With Erich alternately inspiring and goading him,
Jamie published his first novella in 2010, and has since published over twenty
other novels and novellas.
After legally marrying in 2010, buying a house together, and getting a dog,
Jamie and Erich have settled down to life in the country, surrounded by wild
turkeys, deer, and the occasional coyote. A few years ago, Jamie was able to
quit the tech support job that gave him insanely high blood pressure. He now
writes full-time... and feels much better.
Website: https://jamiefessenden.com
Michael Murphy
Michael Murphy met
his husband Dan thirty-four years ago during a Sunday service at MCC in Washington,
DC when a hot, smart man sat down beside him. Due to a shortage of hymnals they
had to share. The touch of one hand on the other in that moment was
electric. Sparks flew that day. Though neither had planned it, they spent the
day together followed by the night. From that day, for more than three
decades they’ve rarely been separated, each finding in the other their soul
mate.
In the District of
Columbia, where they lived, marriage became possible in early March 2010.
The minute it happened they were in line to get a marriage license, only
to be stumped because the license required the name of the person who was going
to marry them. There was such a sudden rush of same sex couples wanting to get
married that the office already had a two-month backlog before an appointment
could be secured. Since they weren’t at all convinced that the Congress
wasn’t going to step in and do something stupid to take away this right, they
started calling everywhere to find someone who would marry them. It might be
legal, but finding someone to marry them was proving to be a challenge.
When an article
appeared in the newspaper telling of a small, local United Methodist Church
that had decided to go against general church policy because marriage equality
mattered deeply to them, a conversation started. After a series of emails
and phone calls, suddenly they were seated with two retired UMC ministers who
were willing to risk it all to do the right thing. A few days later,
license in hand, surrounded by a handful of friends and their best dog, Shadow,
they were finally legally married.
Website: http://gayromancewriter.com
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