"This Is A Love Story..."

"It's easy for people to lead with the fairytale version of their story, but we think it's important to be completely open and transparent about the struggles we've faced. I first met Carlos when I applied to a casting call he posted online. He's a designer/ photographer and was looking for models to participate in his upcoming fashion show. There was an instant attraction and chemistry between us, but neither of us even entertained the thought of dating until a few years later. After all, we had every possible factor working against us. Two African American homosexual men with a 15 year age gap isn't exactly the most accepted couple by society.

Furthermore, we’re both Jamaican and our culture is notoriously known for their intolerance and hatred towards homosexuality. Luckily, most of my family was accepting of Carlos and our relationship from the beginning, but the same wasn't true of Carlos' family. Carlos' mother was so against our union, she didn't even come to our wedding. Thankfully, I do have a great relationship with Carlos' mother now but it took us a long time to get here.

One of the most painful times of my and Carlos’ journey happened a few years ago when we temporarily ended our relationship. It was a time where the trust between us was broken due to poor choices and communication. It was the lowest point in our 12 year relationship. That's why our wedding day was one of the happiest moments of our lives- because the 9 years that lead up to that point wasn't easy. That day was our public statement that we 'made it.'

Our son's arrival was definitely the other happiest moment in our lives. We ultimately decided to go with private agency adoption and purposely did not place any restrictions on race, gender, etc. We only cared that our future baby would be healthy. We are well aware that our conspicuous family will come with its own set of challenges, but we are prepared to deal with them. In fact, our agency required us to take classes specifically designed to equip us with the necessary tools to face such challenges. One lesson we hope to teach our son is to be resilient. And we hope our legacy is his best example."

from: The Way We Met