"Our cultural balance is ideal, to say the least. I'm East Indian, born in New Delhi, and always aim to strike a balance with the best of both Indian and American culture. I'm a Sikh, but more spiritual than religious. Paul is also very spiritual; we can pray to God together and remember Him without there being any conflict in our beliefs. We've gone to church and to Gurdwara together. We value family, food, and friends, and share a deep respect for others (especially elders). While we are an interracial couple, we share in our histories of oppression and our cultural values."-- Harnik and Paul
Harnik & Paul | Seattle, Washington —
"Our cultural balance is ideal, to say the least. I'm East Indian, born in New Delhi, and always aim to strike a balance with the best of both Indian and American culture. I'm a Sikh, but more spiritual than religious. Paul is also very spiritual; we can pray to God together and remember Him without there being any conflict in our beliefs. We've gone to church and to Gurdwara together. We value family, food, and friends, and share a deep respect for others (especially elders). While we are an interracial couple, we share in our histories of oppression and our cultural values."-- Harnik and Paul
"My father had enough. He put me in boxing classes and told me to stop being so passive. I spent the whole summer learning to defend myself. On the first day of tenth grade I got in a fight and made an example of the kid. If anyone insulted me I would curse them out so bad that they'd never want to utter another word to me. I became a bit of a bad ass, but I was happy because people stopped bullying me and started looking up to me. More and more boys started coming out of the closet, and became examples of how happy homosexual teens could be. I started a small gay student association at my school and became actively involved in a youth group for teenagers in the city. I'm not worried about fitting in anymore" -- Jakoury
Jakoury | Chester, Virginia —
"My father had enough. He put me in boxing classes and told me to stop being so passive. I spent the whole summer learning to defend myself. On the first day of tenth grade I got in a fight and made an example of the kid. If anyone insulted me I would curse them out so bad that they'd never want to utter another word to me. I became a bit of a bad ass, but I was happy because people stopped bullying me and started looking up to me. More and more boys started coming out of the closet, and became examples of how happy homosexual teens could be. I started a small gay student association at my school and became actively involved in a youth group for teenagers in the city. I'm not worried about fitting in anymore" -- Jakoury
"I've lived in Ohio since I was fourteen, and have been out and proud since I was eighteen. I'm forty-four and a sober alcoholic. My partner Jonathan and I have been together twenty-one years. We have three boys with a lesbian couple from Columbus—six-year-old twins and a ten- year-old. My partner Jonathan is the biological father of the twins." -- Jonathan and Paul
Jonathan & Paul | Columbus, Ohio —
"I've lived in Ohio since I was fourteen, and have been out and proud since I was eighteen. I'm forty-four and a sober alcoholic. My partner Jonathan and I have been together twenty-one years. We have three boys with a lesbian couple from Columbus—six-year-old twins and a ten- year-old. My partner Jonathan is the biological father of the twins." -- Jonathan and Paul
"The discussion of marriage has been tossed around on numerous occasions, but since it's not yet a legal option in Georgia, instead of adorning shiny bands of commitment, we share personalized military dog tags around our necks to symbolically represent our union." -- Rob and Keith
Rob & Keith | Atlanta, Georgia —
"The discussion of marriage has been tossed around on numerous occasions, but since it's not yet a legal option in Georgia, instead of adorning shiny bands of commitment, we share personalized military dog tags around our necks to symbolically represent our union." -- Rob and Keith
"Our life's hope is that we touch people's lives in a way that they might reach acceptance and understanding of the reality of being a gay man, and realize that embracing diversity really is fine." -- Nile and Jim
Nile & Jim | Palm Springs, California —
"Our life's hope is that we touch people's lives in a way that they might reach acceptance and understanding of the reality of being a gay man, and realize that embracing diversity really is fine." -- Nile and Jim
"I decided to serve my country by going to college as far away from my Southern Baptist Korean American parents as possible. My mom refused to pay application costs for any college outside of California, so I applied to all the military academies. Knowing I was gay but vowing to keep it a secret when I entered West Point about 3,000 miles away, I suppose you could say I was a bit nervous. But after watching the Steven Spielberg film 'Saving Private Ryan' I was encouraged by the military ethos of teamwork, sacrifice, and selfless service. From our first moments at the military academy we took the Cadet Honor Code to heart: "You will not lie or tolerate lying." At chapel, reciting the Cadet Prayer was just as powerful and uncompromising: "Never be content with the half truth when the whole can be won." -- Dan
Dan | Cambridge, Massachusetts —
"I decided to serve my country by going to college as far away from my Southern Baptist Korean American parents as possible. My mom refused to pay application costs for any college outside of California, so I applied to all the military academies. Knowing I was gay but vowing to keep it a secret when I entered West Point about 3,000 miles away, I suppose you could say I was a bit nervous. But after watching the Steven Spielberg film 'Saving Private Ryan' I was encouraged by the military ethos of teamwork, sacrifice, and selfless service. From our first moments at the military academy we took the Cadet Honor Code to heart: "You will not lie or tolerate lying." At chapel, reciting the Cadet Prayer was just as powerful and uncompromising: "Never be content with the half truth when the whole can be won." -- Dan
"Cameron and I were always very close; he never had any hang-ups about my sexuality. When he was diagnosed with brain cancer, it was devastating for me. He fought it for over two years. After exhausting all conventional means of treatment, we tried Eastern medicine, traditional Chinese and Ayurveda, to help his body cure itself, but ultimately nothing could save him." -- Henry and Scott (photographed with Henry's son Cameron)
Henry & Scott | Minneapolis, Minnesota —
"Cameron and I were always very close; he never had any hang-ups about my sexuality. When he was diagnosed with brain cancer, it was devastating for me. He fought it for over two years. After exhausting all conventional means of treatment, we tried Eastern medicine, traditional Chinese and Ayurveda, to help his body cure itself, but ultimately nothing could save him." -- Henry and Scott (photographed with Henry's son Cameron)