30 Years Laurie Whittaker & Jennifer Morales (Then and Now)

The affection and dedication that Laurie and Jennifer express for each other while telling their story is infectious and certainly a prime reason for the success of their 30 year relationship.

We met on October 18, 1980 through mutual friends at a party. We did the lesbian U-Haul thing and moved in together within a week. Whether Jennifer or Laurie said this is unimportant, they are two happy voices of one beautifully fused woman. Theirs is the only long term relationship either has ever had.

Their union has not been without its trials. When their parents found out about the relationship that Christmas, Laurie’s Irish Catholic family shunned her, and Jennifer’s family reacted with denial. The couple proceeded to solemnize their relationship in 1981 at the MCC church in Tallahassee. Their families have long since discarded their misgivings, preferring to love and accept them completely.

Along the way, Jennifer acquired a degree in music. Here, Laurie jumps in to say “Jennifer had a hell of a voice. That’s how the woman got to me, she sang like a songbird.”

In 1989, the couple moved to Fort Lauderdale. Jennifer began a career in the tourism industry and Laurie entered law school, eventually joining her father’s practice. About her work as a lawyer, Laurie says “In criminal law you see bad people on their best behavior. In family law, you see good people on their worst behavior.”

When her father died in 1999, Laurie began to desire a serious career change. It had always been their dream to own the kind of friendly and inclusive bar that Sidelines has become. They brought to the new venture some experience.

Jennifer had been a head bartender and Laurie had been a waitress at a bar in Orlando, called Southern Nights (now Revolution). They were determined to make their own bar comfortable and one with no room for standing, posing or giving attitude. Their plans were complicated by a serious illness that beset Jennifer. She developed pulmonary hypertension and a progressive neurological condition called ataxia that impacts balance and movement and has left her in need of a walker. Doctors have told her to expect her mobility to deteriorate, and as often as Laurie looked to them for hope, the prognosis was gloomy.

They refused to consider the possibility of failure in both health and in business, so off they went to open what is now one of the most popular gay sports bar in Wilton Manors, FL – Sidelines Sports Bar.

Jennifer and Laurie’s happiness is insurmountable as recently they renewed their vows with a fabulous event at Pier 66. “When Jennifer got sick, I made her promise me three things. Fight the good fight. Never give up, and give me all the sex I want.” In business and in love, these wise women will win you over as they have each other.

35 Years Brian McNaught and Ray Struble (Then & Now)

Ray Struble and I met in Boston on May 4, 1976 through Dignity, the gay Catholic organization. This month, we celebrated our 35th anniversary. We divide our year between Ft. Lauderdale, where I’m an active member of the board of directors of the Stonewall National Museum & Archives, and Provincetown, where I do a television program entitled “Stonewall Portraits: Profiles in Pride.”

I’ve been an educator on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues since I was fired for being gay 37 years ago. I have six books, six DVDs, a web guide for corporate managers, and a blog that appears in three newspapers and two web sites. My latest blog on Ray’s and my relationship is attached.

Ray was one of the first openly gay people on Wall Street. He was a managing director at Lehman Brothers. We’re both from families of seven Irish Catholic kids, he in Kansas and me in Michigan.

We had a civil union in Vermont on our 25th anniversary, and were married in Canada in 2003. We’ve always been open about our relationship. I write about it in length in my most recent book, Are You Guys Brothers?

48 Years Dr. Robert Collier & Charles Hunziker (Then and Now)

Well, here we are, 48 years later, living happily together in Fort Lauderdale! We’ve had 14 lovely homes during our past 48 years together and loved them all. We have often been asked is there a secret to having a long-term happy relationship. For us, there were a number of factors, including each of us having loving, supportive, and non-judgmental families, We also had careers that both of us enjoyed which allowed us to live and continue to enjoy a wonderful and stimulating lifestyle. In addition, we have always embraced a comfortable balance of both straight and gay friends across many age groups. Our younger friends keep us in the moment and on our toes. We have actively been involved in supporting local gay charities that have been additionally helpful in keeping us connected to our community and in turn to each other.

In a more personal vein, we think some of the reasons we have remained a happy and contented couple for these many years are because of our mutual respect for each other, having many common interests such as gardening, traveling, and the arts. Most of all, we enjoy having the pleasure of our friends joining us for leisurely luncheons or dinner in some of our favorite restaurants in Ft. Lauderdale.

Throughout these many years I guess we could say that part of our success together is due to our trust, respect, a sense of humor, and even sometimes, forgiveness. Our love and devotion for each other has helped us maintain a happy and enduring relationship.

For young adults already involved in a committed relationship, it does take more than simply “romantic ideas of love” and “great sex” to sustain a longterm commitment. If each partner strives to become a better person, the rest will fall into place. Remember too, it is quite wonderful to have someone who will always be there for you. Is it worth the effort? Absolutely. “Go for it”!

26 Years Carol Lambert and Patty Harris( Then and Now)

We first met in 1980 and began sharing a beautiful life together in 1985. We are proud and happy to say that we just celebrated our 26th anniversary on May 25th, 2011. In the beginning of our relationship, Carol enjoyed her teaching career, while Patty worked in her family jewelry business. During our years together, we were fortunate to do some traveling to Europe with friends and family. Through the years, we have given time to our LGBT community by participating in HIV/AIDS education and World AIDS Day events.

Life was wonderfully simple until 2001 when, just after retiring from teaching, Carol suffered a nearly fatal brain aneurysm. Carol was airlifted to another city and endured several weeks in intensive care and was finally moved to an inpatient rehabilitation facility near our home. After three months, Carol was back home and we began our efforts together to continue Carol’s rehabilitation. With Carol’s courage and our dedication to each other, life is becoming wonderfully simple once again. It was more than a little bump in the road and our life was dramatically altered, but we are so thankful that we have been given the gift of more time to share our wonderful life – a life that is filled with laughter, friendship and commitment.

The “then” photo is Thanksgiving, 1985, when my father first accepted our relationship and personally invited Carol to join the family for holiday dinner. I believe this photo captures how truly happy we were to enjoy Thanksgiving with a loving and accepting family. The “now” photo is a recent cruise we enjoyed with friends. This photo captures the fun, love and happiness we continue to share today. We look forward to celebrating each and every day together and would love someday to marry and have our devotion to each other recognized in the eyes of the law.

Visit Stonewall National Museum & Archives exhibit sponsored by Gables Wilton Park and Creative Arts Enterprises at 2190 Wilton Drive in The Gables between June 9-19 to see more shining Luminary Couples, Stonewall Museum & Archives and Names Project Exhibits.