This past Saturday, I attended a wedding that was nothing less than magical. It occurred on June 20th, 2020, which happened to be the same day as the Summer Solstice, otherwise known as the longest day of the year, during pride month and a global pandemic. Apart from these factors, what made this wedding so special? It was between two of my dear friends, Bryant and Justin.
I was finally able to witness two of my friends’ Bryant and Justin, unite as one, in a beautiful, socially distanced wedding ceremony. I felt honored to be able to witness two me that I love and who love each other exchange heartfelt vows that could make even the hardest of hearts crack open and shed tears. Bryant and Justin are madly in love. Seeing them love each other the way they do only makes me hopeful that I may one day be able to experience something so powerful as their love. Is their relationship perfect? No relationship is, but they are, in fact, perfect for each other.
When Bryant first started dating Justin, he told my mom about him and how he wanted us to meet him to give him our thoughts. I’ll be honest, I’m incredibly protective of my friends and family, and so it’s hard for me to warm up to someone at first, but I immediately liked Justin. I saw how happy he made Bryant, and that was all that mattered to me because, in the end, it’s someone’s heart and the way that they treat you that truly matters.
During their wedding ceremony, one of the guest speakers said that when he was asked to say something at their ceremony, he couldn’t think of anything better than the Supreme Court decision to declare gay marriage legal. His speech was the Supreme Court’s decision, and he replaced the names of the petitioner to Bryant and Justin’s names. As soon as he began to read the Supreme Court’s decision, the tears started to stream down my cheeks. Without that decision precisely five years ago tomorrow (June 26th, 2020), their wedding would have never happened.
I remember when gay marriage became legal within the United States on June 26th of 2015, and I thought to myself, “Finally! My friends will be able to marry each other, just like everyone else.” I am not part of the LGBTQ community, but many of my friends and family members are, and I have always supported their rights. I remember congratulating my closest friends in the LGBTQ community and expressing my feelings of joy for them. It was refreshing to feel like society was progressing towards including everyone, not just some.
The month of June is a time of celebration for one specific community within the U.S., and that is the LGBTQ community. Pride month began years before gay marriage was legalized, but it has always celebrated that love is love. Pride means a lot to the LGBTQ community seeing how they have had to fight and are still fighting for their rights to be themselves and love each other freely.
The news of gay marriage becoming legal in the U.S. received both negative and positive feedback. Some people do not agree with and or approve of homosexuality. It can be religious beliefs, upbringing, or quite simply a lack of exposure to the gay community that keeps some people from understanding why being gay isn’t a crime, nor should it be illegal. People in the LGBTQ community are human beings, just like the rest of us.
I am very fortunate that while growing up, my parents taught me that being gay isn’t a choice; it’s something that you are born being. I believe this to be true. I have heard my gay and lesbian friends stories about the fear of coming out to their parents, some being rejected by their families, some being bullied in schools, and others publicly shamed for being “too feminine” or “too masculine.” These stories have reinforced my belief that gay isn’t a choice. No one willingly chooses to be treated poorly by society. I didn’t choose to be a heterosexual female, but here I am, straighter than an arrow. If I cannot explain why I am attracted to the opposite sex, why should someone who is attracted to the same sex have to explain themselves? They shouldn’t. If I, as a heterosexual female, can marry whomever, I please, why shouldn’t my friends be able to do the same?
This post and these words are dedicated to my dear friends, Bryant, and Justin. I am grateful to know you both and call you my friends. I cherish the fact that I was able to witness your beautiful union. You are both incredibly blessed to have found each other and to have found love within one another. Please continue to be the beautiful souls that you are and to share the love that you share with the rest of the world. Finding what you two have is rare, magical, beautiful, and everlasting. Cheers to a month of pride and a lifetime of love! ❤️
Exchange of vows 
First kiss as husbands 
My mother, Bryant, myself and Justin 
My mother & I celebrating Pride at our local Pride parade in 2016.
