We’re very lucky. We live in San Francisco where it’s easy to be gay. In fact, I sometimes forget that we’re any different from the straight couples we meet and hang out with.
It wasn’t always this way for us, of course. We both grew up in the 70’s – me in a small town in Louisiana and Sal in a more conservative, Sicilian family in New York. Being gay wasn’t an option for either of us. No one discussed it and the only thing you ever heard about it was in derogatory terms.
So, like many of my gay friends, I learned to adapt by keeping myself private and hidden. It was a way to survive until you could get out and get to a safe place.
Now we’re married and my life is better than I ever dreamed it could be. We’re not only safe, we’re better than safe. We’re happy. And we’re thriving. I sometimes shake my head at the wonder of it all.
A text by Tom and Sal