The plan, Tim and Juan agreed, was to wait until spring.
That’s when Tim’s brother returned from serving in Iraq and could serve as best man at the wedding, just as Tim had done for him. A family-heavy wedding was non-negotiable for Tim, but for Juan it was a bit more problematic. His family still struggled with his homosexuality. Tired of waiting for their struggle to be over, he’d cut them out of his life.
After they met, Tim’s family had taken Juan in as one of their own, embracing the man who made Tim so happy. They couldn’t wait to be married in a few months.
But then they woke up the day after the election to discover that Prop 8 had passed, and marriage was off the table. Any other couple might’ve mourned and settled for a civil union. But Juan was resolute. The ban may have passed, but one way or another, they he was getting that license.
They were about to discover just how powerful family and the drive to marry can be.
Stick around after Juan and Tim's story for a little post-chapter discussion, including my interview with Dustin Lance Black. We chat all about his history of fighting for marriage equality, why marriage is so important to him, and why his relationship with Tom is so special. "I never dreamed in that time I'd meet somebody and fall in love and get engaged. I just never knew if that was something I'd be able to appreciate in my own lifetime."
Music:
Parisian Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/