They Banned Gay Adoption. So We Made an Escape Plan
Supreme Court ruling that would grant marriage equality to gay and lesbian couples. We told a group of close friends they were attending a house blessing on that important day.One of our dearest friends, a priest, married us—though he was at risk of being defrocked for officiating a ceremony for a lesbian couple.
Neither of us could afford to be out at the time without risking our livelihoods.Kathy was in an appointed position as director of Hattiesburg's city planning department.
In those days, lesbian rumors were enough for the city council to refuse to affirm my directorship. The pain from that experience is still palpable today.Then and now, there are very few spaces in Mississippi where LGBTQ people feel empowered to enter as authentic human beings without the threat of judgment, of being denied service, or looking over their shoulders in fear of those who would do us harm.When LGBTQ people are in the closet, we have to find spaces where we can be safe.
In the 80s and 90s, we met in people's homes. Hattiesburg didn't have a gay bar. If we wanted to go to a gay bar, we had to go to Jackson or New Orleans.
