Saturday, March 18, 2017

"A True Love Story..."


Jonathan Franqui and Dwayne D. Beebe

Our Life In 17 Photos: A Gay Sailor’s Love Story

On a warm fall day nearly six years ago, Dwayne D. Beebe sat anxiously on the edge of the Plaza Fountain in Plaza Ferdinand Park in Old Pensacola, Florida. He was waiting for the arrival of Jonathan Franqui, the man he had met nearly a month before and with whom he found an instant connection. It was their first real date - after over a week of talking on the phone and texting about their lives, learning about each other's families and friends and life aspirations, they were finally meeting up in person. When Jonathan arrived at the park, Dwayne stood up from his seat on the fountain and, without a word, pulled two coins from his pocket. He held them up and said to Jonathan, "The first thing we are going to do is make a wish in this fountain with these two coins." They silently reflected on their wishes, and together, threw them into the water.

Jonathan and Dwayne have never shared with each other their wishes that night. But if their wishes were at all related to something positive and life-changing emerging from their first date, it's safe to say that their wishes have come true. "We've been inseparable since our first date," Jonathan said. "We had an amazing, spontaneous evening together, shared our very first kiss, and saw the beginning of our love and life together begin."


Over the next several months, Dwayne and Jonathan grew continually closer. They especially bonded over their military background. Jonathan was raised in a military household, and for over 20 years, Dwayne has served in the U.S. Navy as a Senior Chief and culinary specialist. "When I was a kid, we moved so much that I really understand what a military life is like," Jonathan explained, noting that his connection to Dwayne is definitely related to their common experiences. "I've always known that I wanted someone who wanted to have a family and wanted to connect with my family. Dwayne needed someone who could understand the military lifestyle and support a life in the military and deal with the transfers and the moves. When we met each other, we saw that we shared that need and those values."


Over the years, Jonathan and Dwayne have integrated well into each other's families. Dwayne has two children from a previous marriage - 17-year-old Courtney and 19-year-old Brian - and Jonathan's family lives only an hour away from the couple's home together in Gulf Breeze, Florida.


Dwayne and Jonathan were raised on opposite coasts - Dwayne in California and Jonathan in Miami, Florida. In July 2012, Dwayne suggested that they take a trip to San Diego, CA, where Dwayne had previously been stationed at Naval Medical Center San Diego working as a Disability and Transition Counselor for wounded warriors and disabled service members. As they planned out the trip, they realized that they could be in San Diego the same weekend as the city's Pride Parade.


On their cross-country road-trip, Dwayne heard from a fellow service member friend that the Department of Defense had given permission for all branches of the military to march in the San Diego Pride Parade wearing their military uniforms. "It was an awesome moment, and I could tell how it affected Dwayne," Jonathan said. "He got so emotional about it." Dwayne told Jonathan in the car, "You have no idea what this really means - this is such a big step and such a big move. I've been in the military for 19 years and lived under Don't Ask, Don't Tell for 18 of those years. This is a huge step moving forward."


Once they arrived in San Diego, Dwayne decided that he wanted to make the parade even more memorable than it already would have been. Dwayne marched in his military dress whites, and toward the end of the parade, after marching past 200,000 well-wishers on Harvey Milk Street, he approached Jonathan, who was on the sidelines taking photos. He dropped to one knee, pulled out a box, and opened it for a very shocked Jonathan.


"I knew what was going on, but everything completely stopped," Jonathan explained. "It was one of those moments where time froze, and he asked me three times to marry him, and it took me until the last time for me to actually understand what he was asking." Of course, Jonathan said yes.






Jonathan and Dwayne fell in love and have committed their lives together - they were married in Pensacola 2013 with their brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, and Dwayne's son and daughter by their side as groomsmen and attendants.





Marriage matters to Jonathan and Dwayne. It communicates their commitment to each other and their plan to grow old together by each other's side. "Marriage is the ultimate commitment you can make to the person that you love," Jonathan said. "It's important to have that union recognized in your community and in your home and in your family. It's important to us because we say 'I love you' verbally, and we do the same things people do in a marriage, and we want respect for that. We want our community to understand how strong our commitment is to one another - how strong our commitment is to the person we love."


Edited and excerpted from Freedom to Marry



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