Rainbow Pajamas: Stories of Long-Term LGBTQ Relationships Rainbow Pajamas

Most people still meet their partners offline. 66% of people between 25-34 found their partners offline, compared to only 21% of those who met online, according to YouGov research in the UK in 2019. Gays, Lesbians & Bisexuals are more likely to meet their partners online, but it appears to be the minority.

This is not unlike our guests today, Monique and Ellie. They met when Ellie was going to the toilet at London pride 🏳️‍🌈 and saw Monique with her friends across the bar. (Tip: they had help from a wingman.)

In this episode, the engaged couple talks about how they quit their jobs in the UK to travel in Australia, taking on vastly different jobs in hospitality. They also share how they navigate some of their personality differences, have fun and ... their 💍 proposal ;)

🌁 See pictures of the couple and their social profiles on our Instagram (@rainbowpajamas_).

#LGBTRelationship #Sheandshe #GayCouple

Before meeting Angel, Nicole said her dating life was "non-existent". However, their lives changed completely after meeting each other online. After 3 months of dating, Nicole proposed to Angel. 💍

Fast forward to now, they've been together for 6 years, married for 5. They are also raising 6 children together while working full time in New Jersey 🇺🇸!

If you’re having tough luck with dating apps, in this episode, Nicole shares a few tips on how she made dating apps work for her. Nicole's dating profile was special – it came in a package of three beautiful humans – her 2 kids and herself. Curious how she found success on the dating app after "kissing a lot of frogs"?

In this episode, they discuss how they met, how they knew they were meant for each other, family approval, racism and of course, how they manage to raise 6 kids while working full time!

🌁 See pictures of the couple and their social profiles on our Instagram (@rainbowpajamas_).

Kylie and Sophia’s relationship made it into international newspapers when they were forced out of the Christian sorority in UC Berkeley where they had first met. Before they met, neither had ever envisioned themselves in a same-gender relationship. However, when their friendship deepened into a romantic relationship, they were removed from the organisation.

Sophia is the daughter of 🇨🇱Chilean immigrant parents and was raised Roman Catholic in the 🇺🇸US, while Kylie is originally from 🇸🇬Singapore and was raised conservative Evangelical Protestant.   

In this episode, they tell us the fascinating story of their relationship, including: how they dealt with the hostility and fall out caused by their relationship in the sorority, how they have navigated other challenges in their relationship such as their very different personalities, cultural backgrounds, and winning the hearts of family members who were not initially very accepting. Kylie’s mom initially just referred to Sophia as “she/her” instead of her name.

We also discussed in detail how they planned a 💍wedding ceremony with influence from Catholic and Protestant practices, Latin culture and Singaporean-chinese culture. This meant a wedding with food and drinks from different continents, different styles of wedding dress, unique wedding traditions and religious ceremonies.

By the way, have you thought about how the queer community invite their family members to their weddings when not all of their family knows about their sexual orientation and partners? We also talked about that and I thought how they did it was fascinating!

Huffington Post article on their story about the sorority fall out: www.huffpost.com/entry/love-thy-sister_n_4899529

Did you realize that many LGBTQ couples get married without telling their parents? Jason & Rich, a gay couple of 17 years, shares in depth how the relationship with his homophobic parents "dictated" everything in their relationship, how he dealt with it and why he eventually decided to go full "no contact" with his parents.

Despite the difficulties, the couple offer hope and optimism on how they nurture the relationship for 17 years. Both identified as introverts with social anxiety, Rich and Jason discuss why they chose to be monogamous instead of being open, and why we can't build a relationship entirely based on excitement and novelty.

🌁 See pictures of the couple and their social profiles on our Instagram (@rainbowpajamas_).

☎️ Share this podcast with 3 of your friends so 3 more people in the world will know long-term & happy LGBTQ relationships are possible.

🇺🇦 We interviewed a 20-year-old Ukrainian bisexual woman, who's now hiding in a bomb shelter in Kharkiv. She talks about her last date with her girlfriend, her life before the invasion and how the 🏳️‍🌈 queer community in Kharkiv is defending the country.

To LGBTQ Ukrainians, the Russian invasion not only means a breach of sovereignty, but also a threat to their freedom of expression and love. It is crucial for us to document the living history of people in this crisis and let the marginalized communities be heard.

The #LGBTQ community, like other marginalized communities, faces additional challenges during the war. Some organizations are supporting the specific needs of LGBTQ Ukrainians in this crisis, such as providing LGBTQ-friendly accommodation, medical care, psychological support, ARV or hormone therapy, including to those who are fleeing to other countries.

Donate to these suggested organizations below and feel free to add more in the comments:
- Kyiv Pride, which is channeling its funding to organizations in need
- OutRight's Ukraine Emergency Fund (looking for donations)
- Pride Košice, which is supporting LGBT+ refugees (looking for $, transportation & housing)
- All Out (working with organizations to coordinate evacuations for queer refugees from Ukraine)

Donate to RedCross for humanitarian assistance in Ukraine: www.icrc.org/en

Our guest in this episode also asks you to:
- Speak up for Ukrainian people
- Join the anti-war demonstrations
- Ask celebrities and powerful figures to speak up & stand by Ukraine

The interview was recorded in the evening of Feb 27, 2022.

Doug & Brian met in 1989 at university when the U.S. society was still very homophobic. When they met, there were no gay role models or representation in the media, and gay people were most commonly associated with the AIDS epidemic.

In this episode, they talk about how their deep conviction helped them come to terms with their sexuality, live authentically and achieve the American dream in an environment that wasn’t queer friendly. The gay dads of two daughters also share tips on how they maintain a healthy relationship over 30 years and overcome all the challenges of surrogacy in the 90s.

#gaycouple #gayhusbands #gayparents #gayrelationship #gayrelationshipgoals #gaywedding #gayswithstories #lgbtpride #lgbt #lgbtcouple