In March earlier this year, Darleen, the store manager for our Park Slope store on 7^th Avenue tied the knot with her partner Jasmine in an elaborate speakeasy/cabaret themed wedding in the same East Village theater where they met 12 years ago. With the opening monologue of Prince’s Let’s Go Crazy playing over the loud speakers – “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life…” the newlyweds re-enacted their earlier ceremony at City Hall for their friends and families whom they were able to bring together. Though the couple didn’t feel the need to get married in order to feel closer to each other, there was an overwhelming urge to be “adopted” into each other’s community.  Both agreed that a big part of why they got married was not for themselves, but for their families.

Last year at this time – the week before Pride NYC, the landscape of the LGBT community in New York was considerably different. In the eyes of the state government, Darleen and Jasmine were considered second-class citizens. With the legislature working late into the night on a Friday, news of the bill’s passage got out by the end of the evening and spontaneous celebrations erupted all over the city, most notably in the West Village at the birthplace of the gay rights movement, The Stonewall Inn. Darleen and Jasmine had just moved back to the city at the time, and for them, the announcement was bittersweet –the news was good for New Yorkers, but marriages still weren’t recognized federally, couples across the country weren’t granted the same protections that hetero couples enjoyed like health insurance, and hospital visitation rights. For equal treatment all across America, there was still a long road to travel. Still, the two felt lucky to have seen the issue progress so far. While Darleen and Jasmine hadn’t participated in Pride celebrations for years, they were really excited for the older couples marching in the parade who had struggled and helped propel the movement from its infancy.

When asked what married life has been like, Darleen responded “It’s been pretty much the same.” “We’re pretty excited about our car insurance discount,” Jasmine added with a laugh. Reflecting back on the wedding though, both talked about feeling much more emotional about it than expected. A particular highlight for Darleen was a speech given by her brother that evening. Talking about the sinking of the Titanic, which had occurred 100 years before, her brother talked about those people being a part of history. Darleen and Jasmine, on the other hand, were not just passengers along for the ride – they were making history.

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