JES CUMPIAN & HALLEY CLARK

Jes & Halley got married at National Coming Out Day organized by Las Vegas Pride this past October 11th, just days after gay marriage was legalized in Nevada.

How did you meet?

Halley and I met online. We had communicated casually for about 4 months. It was just friendly banter. It’s pretty astonishing how few people are able to carry on conversation nowadays, so it was quite refreshing being able to actually exchange messages beyond basic pleasantries. After we met in person, we just clicked!

Who proposed to who and where?

We had discussed getting married but wanted it to be legal where we lived and going to another state just didn’t feel right, plus Halley was born and raised here. I knew we had the ruling coming at any moment and that anything was possible. We just made a trip to Colorado the weekend of October 3, so right before our trip, I went and bought our rings. I knew I wanted to “pop the question” someplace special, so on October 5, at the top of Pikes Peak, CO, at 14,110ft, I proposed. It wasn’t boisterous or a down-on-my-knee affair, but I did hold Halley’s hand and tell him I wanted to make it official. I honestly had no idea that we would be able to get married just one week later!

Why is Marriage important to you?

Marriage is important to us for the same reasons it is to any other couple. We want the same rights, responsibilities, and protections afforded to married couples. Personally, I didn’t think marriage was an option as a gay man and I had resigned myself to believing that it wasn’t for me. After meeting Halley, and with all the progress our country has made, I’m quite happy that I was mistaken!

KELVIN ATKINSON & SHERWOOD "WOODY" ATKINSON

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Nevada state Senator Kelvin Atkison & Woody Atkinson wed shortly after gay couples began receiving marriage licenses outside of the Marriage License Bureau by district court judge Nancy Allf.

How did you meet?

Woody and I met in Los Angeles at a mutual friend’s birthday part in May of 2008.

Who proposed to who and where?

I proposed to him. First on the phone after the court ruling last week then again in public later that night at the Celebration at The Center in front of everyone. It went viral.

Why is Marriage important to you?

It is because everyone should have the right to marry who they fall in love with, without the judgment or approval of others. Woody and I have been together for over 6 years and we should be able to cement our love by marrying just like any other loving couple.

JACKY SWALLIA & MEGAN SWALLIA

Jacky and Megan got married at the National Coming Out Day organized by Las Vegas Pride this past October 11th, just days after gay marriage was legalized in Nevada.

We met in summer school in 1996. I was credit deficient and Megan was trying to get ahead. I sat in front of her and she stared at the back of my head wondering for the longest time if I was a boy or girl (I had pretty short hair back then). One day at break I turned around and to make conversation, I asked her about a picture of her cat she was using as a bookmark. We started talking and realized we had a lot of common interests and became friends. After summer school we really didn’t see each other much since we went to different schools, but we kept in contact. We tried dating for a while the next year but we both needed to grow up and work out some issues so we split. We didn’t start speaking again until 2002. We built our friendship back again and moved in together the next year.

Who proposed to who and where?

Hmmm...see, there was no really fancy proposal or anything like that. We just had a conversation one day about if it was ever legal for us to get married, would we? And we agreed that we would. Yeah, nothing special. Just practical.

Why is Marriage important to you?

In the grand scheme, it’s about equality for everyone. But on a personal level, it is important to us because we are expecting twins and they will now be born with married mothers. This solves problems like both of us being able to sign the birth certificates and being recognized as legal guardians. Also, now I don’t have to worry that I’m not going to be allowed in the hospital when Megan gives birth or that her parents would get to make decisions if something happens to her. I should be the one making decisions and before that wasn’t a guarantee. Also, I can now have my health insurance taken out pre-tax. I never could before because I had Megan as a dependent and domestic partners don’t qualify for section 109 pre-tax deductions. It really makes our family complete now, in so many ways.