During the month of January, 35 LGBT couples from across Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee have stood up for marriage equality in their home states as part of the WE DO Campaign. You can read the story of one the couples below as told by Brent Morin.
Jerry and Brent Morin
Jerry and I have been together almost 10 years. We met 11 months after losing my wife to a terminal illness in early 2003. It was just before the holidays and sure to be hard without my wife who had been with me every Christmas for the previous nine years. You see I don’t do alone well, never have – I am a twin and have always had someone right by my side from birth. There is my twin (Corey), my wife (Heather) that I met as a freshman in college and now Jerry. That year I became a widower, discovered my authentic self – came out to friends and family, and met the second love of my life. However, I still had trouble reconciling my sexuality with my upbringing; but Jerry changed all of that. As I fell in love with Jerry I was fascinated by how similar he was to Heather. To describe Jerry is to describe Heather – humble, quiet, loyal, sarcastic, hardworking, stubborn, animal loving, French-Canadians from New England. I quickly realized that my love for Jerry was no different than my love for Heather. Only then did I truly accept myself as a gay man. While there is certainly physical attraction, true love is much deeper and this was the type of person that I was drawn to. Love is Love!
A few of the things I love about Jerry… I love the way he expresses his love in a touch. Like when he walks around the bed, he’ll gently place his hand on the covers over my feet. I love how he can magically get the attention of an infant across the room in a crowded restaurant. I love how well he can talk to a child on their level. I love how he goes online to read his hometown paper and the pride he shows for his home state of Maine. I love how he pampers our blended four-legged family and his love for all animals. I love that we rarely fight because we both realize that open/honest communication and a sincere apology can solve most any spat. I love that he lets me be myself, loves and accepts my flaws, and is never critical of me – not even when I could use it or deserve it.
These are a lot of the same reasons I married Heather. However, along with that marriage certificate there came several rights, privileges and protections. I was able to file joint taxes in order to maximize our return. I was able to insure Heather so that she got the best medical care for her disease. I was able to protect the investment in our home with guaranteed issue life insurance through my employer. I was able to take a leave of absence from work to care from her while my job was protected. I was able to make end of life decisions – decisions that she had only shared with me along with carrying out her funeral and burial wishes. I was able to gift her corneas for transplant to restore sight to two men so that they could see for the first time. I was able to assume all of her property, savings, and retirement funds without any additional taxes or penalty. Unfortunately, Jerry and I are not afforded any of these protections.
Jerry and I were married in August of 2011 in the District of Columbia. We made two costly trips to D.C. in order to get married because we love each other. As Jerry reminded me at the Forsyth County Register of Deeds office, “No denial can take what we have away from us.” Outside of nine states and D.C., our marriage certificate is just a piece of paper but our love is just as strong. However, we are seeking federal marriage equality because we want to protect one another and we wish to be treated equally by our government.
You can send all the couples that have applied for marriage licenses as part of the WE DO Campaign a message of support here.
