Welcome to Queer IRL, an Autostraddle community photo series that gathers little clips of lesbian, bisexual, queer and otherwise-identified women, trans and non-binary folks, just living our lives in 2017.

So far this year, we’ve showcased queers doing a number of cool and beautiful things, like standing in their kitchens, being outdoors, holding a goat, reading books, and taking vacations. This gallery you’re about to stroll through is dedicated to queers celebrating, and it is GLORIOUS. We’re thrilled to be sharing it on the first annual It’s Great to Be Gay Day, while we celebrate just how wonderful it is to be our own gay selves! I hope you take some time to cheer yourself on today, and throw some confetti for your fellow queers. You’re not straight, you’re not boring, and you’re definitely not without a reason to CELEBRATE.

---

Claire, Izzy, Ella, Julia / 15 and 16 / Chelsea, NYC / June 2015

“In retrospect, we all agree that this was a day out in New York celebrating the fact that we all owned backpacks, and that we’d become the future members of a gay group chat even though only one of us was out at the time.”

---

Louisa / 21 / Graduation / Surrey, UK / 11th July 2017

“I graduated with a degree in English Literature this year! That was the second time that day I’d held that scepter. This chancellor man at my university spotted my kente cloth and asked if I was Ghanaian (I am). We got to talking and he let me hold the scepter as my class was waiting to graduate. I realised I was bisexual at university, just one of the reasons I’ll treasure the memories of my time there.”

---

Stuart, Tracey, Ashley, Max, Caroline, James / Celebrating Chewbacchus Parade / New Orleans, LA / Mardi Gras February 2017

---

Megan and Brenda / 24, 26 / WE GOT MARRIED! / Plymouth State University, Plymouth NH / July 29, 2017

“These pictures were taken on our wedding day at Plymouth State University. Brenda and I are both alums of the college, and wanted to get hitched in the place we fell in love. We were blessed to be joined by our biological AND chosen families, and many many queer friends, relatives, mentors, and community members. I love these pictures because it shows off our beautiful campus, and are thankful beyond words for our (large) bridal parties. Photo cred to another PSU alum, Nina Weinstein Photography.”

---

Tina, Julie, Phoebe / Tina and Julie’s Wedding / The Mount Washington, Lake Winnipesaukee / June 6, 2009

“Julie and I had wanted to get married since the day we met at nun school in 2000. Feel free to insert any irreverent joke…we have heard and laughed at them all! On June 6, 2009 we had a Civil Union ceremony on The Mount Washington (the boat not the hill) on Lake Winnipesaukee. It was an amazing day. Our daughter, Phoebe, celebrated with us – rocking on the dance floor with her aunties and uncles until the wee hours of the morning. We received our free upgrade to a marriage certificate a few months later.”

---

Little Mole (AKA Rous Rose), Fellow Animals, Narrator, Human Sound Effects Machine / 20, 22, 9, 27, 8 / Limburg, Belgium / 2017

“For my mother’s birthday, a few (chosen) family members and I decided to create a stage adaptation of one of her favourite children’s books: ‘The Story of the Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunit’. The resulting theatrical masterpiece lasted four entire minutes and involved people playing many different parts (TatMas-ing, if you will), tripping over props, lots and lots of fake poop, George Clooney (played by yours truly), and one very delighted mother.

Weirdly enough, we never heard back from the Tonys.”

---

Mary and Ellie / We Eloped! / Charlottesville, Virginia / May 2017

“We went into the woods and cast a queer wedding spell with poetry, rings, and our sweet pups Wulfe and Nigel.”

---

Abbie, Cassidy, Garrett, Megan, Brenda, Eli, Katie / Megan and Brenda’s Wedding / Plymouth, NH / July 29th, 2017

“Megan and Brenda’s wedding was perfect, fun, and full of so much love. There were many highlights of the whole wedding weekend (Golf carts! My mom doing choreography from RuPaul’s Drag Race on the dance floor! Dabbing!) but the best part for me was getting to be in Megan’s super queer bridal party. The five of us (two queer boys, two queer girls, and one token straight woman) have been best friends with Megan for so long we’re basically family. I’m so happy she had us by her side when we welcomed her wife Brenda into our little family. Also peep us singing Ingrid Michaelson’s “You And I” at the reception featuring me with my guitar looking like I’m gonna play the next Lilith Fair. Photo Credit: Nina Weinstein Photography.”

---

Clara and Rebecca / 27, 28 / Getting Engaged / Stockholm Sweden / June 5, 2017

---

Misha, Emily, Ashlynn, Liz, and Emilie / Master’s Degree Capstone Presentation Celebration / Washington, DC / 2016

“This is our capstone group from graduate school, #TeamSpiceGirls. For the last hurdle to completing our master’s degrees in public policy and public administration, we had to present our capstone to professors and our cohort. This photo was taken after our presentation (which we rocked) so we went and got drinks to celebrate. The real party started when we decided to replicate a photo of the “real” Spice Girls. Our outfits are a little more modest, but the essence of the photo is spot on (I think).”

Jess and Cat / 24, 23 / Brother’s Wedding / Bismark, ND / September 2017

“My beautiful girlfriend and I got all dressed up for my little brother’s wedding this fall. It was the first time I ever wore a vest to an event, so I’d say it was a success.”

---

Sarah, Abbie, Kendra, Janae / Halloween / Brooklyn NY / 2016 and 2017

---

Leah and Lindsey / 33 / Surviving 2016, Celebrating NYE 2017 / Harlem, NY / December 31, 2016

“This was my girlfriend and my first New Year’s together. She’s 6 ft and I’m 5’2”, her Dad commented that all our photos look like I’m in her armpit, so we thought this was funny, plus we look fabulous which is the best way to deal with the current cultural climate. (Decorations inspired by Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Boy Problems” music video.)”

---

Anna, Heather, Josh, Yuse, EJ / Electric Haze / Worcester MA / October 2017

“For the past four years I’ve been running Airspray, a queer community group, and hosting fabulous monthly queer dance parties. This month’s theme was STAY GOLD and we had some fabulous outfits!”

---

Ashley and Liz / Friend’s Wedding / Denver, CO / 2017

“We went to the wedding of one of our friends and there was a photobooth at their reception (at a bar which, A+ venue selection), which we took full, drunken advantage of.”

---

Stephanie and Dwyn / 29, 27  / Our Birthday Week! / San Francisco, CA / October 26, 2017

“Our birthdays are three days apart and happen to fall during a fairly busy time of year for both of us. However, the nonprofit I (Dwyn) work at was having a small fundraiser at a yacht club so we got the chance to dress up a little and spend the evening celebrating together somewhere fancy. It was pretty much the most fun way to celebrate our birthdays.”

---

Maria and Kathryn / 25 / Friend’s Wedding / Bundoran, Ireland / 24 September, 2016

“These photos were taken at the wedding of one of my girlfriend’s closest friends. She was a bridesmaid and it was the first wedding we went to together. I love going to weddings and nothing makes Kathryn happier than dancing like an idiot (she is a much better dancer than me). I remember that I could barely stop smiling all night.”

---

Amanda and Abbie / 29, 27 / We Were Legally Married! / Canmore, Alberta, Canada / July 26, 2012

“The picture I have chosen to include for this collection is the moment our officiant pronounced Abbie and I wives. It was a moment of such pure joy, and our incredible photographer (Canada’s best, who basically did our wedding pro bono) was able to capture it so well. We live in the state of Washington, and at the time we were planning our wedding, it was not legal to marry in our state. It was very important to us that we married, not domesticated (that’s what we called Washington’s domestic partnership law). My family is from Montana, hers is from Pittsburgh, so it seemed fair that everyone be required to travel for our wedding, including us. The event was hosted in a bed and breakfast, where they provided everything we needed for two full days–an incredible rehearsal dinner with beer and wine, a wedding day brunch, picnic baskets for guests to take as they explored the beauty of Banff National Park, rounds and rounds of phenomenal tapas for the wedding dinner, along with a fully stocked open bar, and a goodbye brunch the following morning. Our wedding was a very small, intimate affair, and truly the most lovely day of my life. Because most of us stayed together in the b&b, everyone felt their attendance was important and appreciated (and it was!). Also, our family members who attended, some of whom did not understand why we chose Canada as our wedding location (or were even against gay marriage to begin with), gained a newfound appreciation and respect for our love, our relationship, and the value we placed in the ability to become legal spouses. My wife and I have been together now for nine years, and legally married for five of those. Cheers to many more years!”

---

Kathryn Niesche, Tigger!, Governor of Victoria Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Taylor Mac, Creatrix Tiara, Mama Alto / Morning Reception for Melbourne Festival / Government House, Victoria / October 17 2017

“For the last month or so I was part of the Melbourne Festival production of Taylor Mac’s 24 Decade History of Popular Music, a 24-hour high-glam super-queer Radical Faerie Realness Ritual performance art concert extravaganza exploring US history from 1776 to now via music that was popular and/or relevant for its time. (Though anything I could say about it would really be an understatement). I was a Dandy Minion, a “candystriper meets cabin attendant meets Rocky Horror Picture Show floor show cast member”: a bridge between the audience and the stage, providing support through fabulousity. It’s one of the most epic experiences of both my creative and personal life – getting to know all of these amazing talented people and being part of a unique, incredible, and transformative experience.

The artists performing at Melbourne Festival, including the cast and crew of 24 Decades, were invited to Government House for tea with the Governor of Victoria. It was really entertaining to see a colonial institution (the Governor is technically a representative of the Queen of England in Australia) filled up primarily with queers, gender-benders, and other rebels.

What I found especially entertaining was my mother’s reaction to the photo. I told her about our invite to the Governor’s house and how I wore her kebaya, and she got so excited she posted the photo to her Facebook profile – and the comments are filled with blessings and well-wishes from relatives and old family friends. Yet if any of them knew that everyone on the couch (save the Governor though who knows really) was very openly queer, with at least a couple being trans and/or non-binary, and that we were part of a production that relished in sexuality and taboo-breaking and copious amounts of nudity, they would all be scandalised. (Hell Tigger! is wearing a very lacy outfit with pretty much nothing underneath!!!) Respectability politics can count for something sometimes!”

---

Emily and Maddy / 24, 21 / Friends’ Wedding / Asheville, NC / October 7, 2016

“Emily’s best friend got married, and we traveled to Asheville to celebrate! Technically the wedding was in nearby Weaverville, which is beautiful and mountainous and home to a llama named Chocolate Chip who made it into some of the pictures. Best memory: this photo booth picture, which perfectly captures the trip/our friendship.”

Anastasia / 27 / Salem, Oregon / Halloween, 2017

“Until I can assemble my Darth Amidala costume, I dress every year as a queer from the classics: a maenad.  These were mythological members of an all-woman Dionysian cult who would roam the countryside and tear men limb from limb.”

---

Vanessa / 27 / My 27th Birthday Party / Portland, OR / December 21, 2015

“Anyone who knows me knows I’m OBSESSED with celebrating my birthday. I like to plan a big party so I can invite everyone I’ve ever met and bake an impressive cake and have everyone compliment me and wish me happy birthday all evening, and that’s exactly what I did for my 27th birthday. I decided to make it a sparkly fancy dress theme and I found the most perfect pink sequin party dress that used to belong to Beth Ditto (!!!!!) at Fat Fancy (a plus size consignment store in Portland) and wore the tiara I wear every year on my birthday and then I went all out and made a DIY photo booth in my bedroom, complete with a gold background, balloons, handmade props, and glittery champagne bottles. It was perfect.”

---

Meghan and Megan / 39, 32 / Frocktoberfest Birthday Party / Minneapolis, MN / 2012

“This was our second joint birthday party. With birthdays 6 days apart and many friends in common, we combined forces for Meg(h)an^2 birthday parties with different themes based on our combined ages, the year, or, in this case, our birth month and our love of dresses. Our friend & former colleague, Amy, used to work at the Germanic-American Institute and helped us get hold of Oktoberfest-appropriate outfits for ourselves and all our guests. Megan had 2 costume changes during the party! (Photo: Jenny Veile)”

---

Ari / 20 / My 20th Birthday Party / Boston, MA / March 31, 2017

“This is a before and after series. My friends threw a party for my 20th birthday which started around 7 PM and went into the wee hours of the morning and we played what must have been a hundred rounds of Cards Against Humanity (with several custom cards one of my friends had made, featuring weird inside jokes) and…I was actually genuinely happy.”

---

Leah and Katie / Our Big Gay Wedding / Toledo, OH / October 21st, 2017

“I’m from Pittsburgh and Katie’s from Chicago so we decided to get married in the middle, which turned out to be Toledo! Since we couldn’t go on a honeymoon right away, we’re celebrating our two week anniversary this Saturday at the Tegan and Sara The Con X show.”

---

Maggie / 24 / 24th Birthday / Crumbs and Whiskers DC / October 5, 2017

“In these photos, I’m visiting a cat cafe in DC called Crumbs and Whiskers to celebrate my 24th birthday. My partner and I took a day off from work, grabbed lunch, and got to play with adoptable kitties for about an hour. We really fell in love with Cinnamon (pictured) but since our apartment doesn’t allow pets, we couldn’t take her home. Did I say “doesn’t”? I probably should have said “didn’t” because OUR APARTMENT JUST BECAME PET FRIENDLY! Crossing our fingers that Cinnamon is still available for adoption by the time we get the paperwork. To be continued…”

---

Jess / 26 / Graduating ith My Master of Public Health / Boston, MA / May 20, 2017

“I am the first in my immigrant family to graduate from college and now, with my Master’s. Queer, Brown, hella Proud and ready to fight for people’s rights.”

---

Erin and Sarah / 28, 27 / Our Wedding / Wandsworth Town Hall, London / 12 December, 2014

“These pictures were from our wedding day, a small but powerful occasion in London. I grew up in New York in a strict Catholic home, which made coming out very difficult. In the end, my parents did not come to our wedding. BUT that did not actually diminish the pure amazingness of the day, and of any day of the nearly three years we have been married. A friend told us the first photo is the happiest photo he’s ever seen. The second is my favourite-  it’s Sarah’s Dad showing us an earlier photo he took. I just love the pure happiness we all have there and how it defies everything I ever imagined acceptance had to be.”

---

Rachel and Hannah / 29, 30 / 10 Year Un-niversary Party / New Orleans, LA / February, 2016

“We started dating when we were gaybies and after 8 years we “broke up” and became extra special super committed friends (dare I say “platonic life partners”?!). On the 10th anniversary of our coming together we had a big party where folks shared stories of how friendship had given their life meaning. Photo credit: Melisa Cardona.”

---

Lauren and Carolyn / 23, 24 / 4th Anniversary / Jamaica Plain, MA / September 2017

“You know those flirty anonymous messages you think about sending to your “crush” on Tumblr? Well, this is what could happen when your crush actually responds. Though we’ve been long distance almost our entire relationship, we make the time to see each other at least once every two months, occasionally even leaving the house to go on adventures. Hopefully once Carolyn is done with grad school we can live together in the Boston Land of Queers (aka Jamaica Plain), where we celebrated our most recent anniversary during a visit.”

Amber and Victoria / Engagement!!! / Frederick, MD / 2017

“Amber and Victoria met at Hood College in Frederick. After Victoria went to a play four nights in a row in which Amber had three lines, they soon started dating. They bonded over the queerest show on earth– Star Trek. Three years later, they’re hella engaged and getting married next year!”

---

Amy and Amy / Attending le Diner en Blanc / Sacramento, CA / September, 2017

“It’s not technically a celebration of anything we did, but it was a beautiful evening nonetheless with delicious dinner, sparklers, & dancing & it was one of the most beautiful nights we have shared. Plus, how often do you get to be all fancy without having to buy a present?!”

---

Jay with Newly Married Friends / 5 Mins After Their “I Do” / Clarksville, TN / 2017

“Here I am celebrating the fact that my hella queer body felt hella comfortable being the Maid/Person of Honor for my best friend. I know the day wasn’t about me, but they made me comfortable and proud to be my entire self and that rarely happens for me at things predominantly made for the straight people’s of the world. It was basically a big moment of celebrating love.”

---

Clellie / 21 / Stopped Experiencing Vertigo After 8 Days of Dizziness, Did a Headstand to Celebrate / Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA / October 30, 2017

---

Claire and Alexa / High School Best Friend’s Wedding / Milwaukee, WI / July 15, 2017

“Alexa and I took our first road trip together, from the Twin Cities to Milwaukee, to attend her high school best friend’s wedding. The drive was filled with dangerous amounts of laughing after discovering a new hilarious podcast, the Airbnb was pleasantly underpriced and incredibly luxurious, and we spent days drinking, eating, looking at art, and falling in love. And to top it all off, it was my birthday weekend! It was the best weekend I’ve ever had, and I know it can’t possibly be relived. It was an ephemeral experience that could only have happened at that exact point in our lives and relationship, and I wouldn’t do it again if I could- it was magic, and so is she.”

---

Sofia and Veronica / 30, 29 / Our Wedding / Rome, Italy / 3 September, 2016

“This picture was taken last year during our beautiful wedding! We got married first in Austria (my mother was born there and I have some relatives living in Salzburg) and then we did another ceremony in Rome with our families and a lot of friends. It was a great day, we laughed, we cried, we got drunk and at the end of the day I jumped in the pool with my wedding dress on. Surprisingly, the dress survived completely unharmed!”

---

Vicky / 27 / World Pride 2017 / Madrid / 1 July, 2017

“This collage shows pretty much everything I did that day at Pride: played drums in the parade, waved my bilingual protest gay flag a lot, and went to party.”

---

Emma and Nicole / Graduations and Engagement! / Brooklyn, NY / June 3, 2017

“When Emma and Nicole found out they would be graduating from their respective programs on the same day at the same time, they were pretty devastated. So they took the opportunity to party! After five years of dating, Nicole and Emma’s families finally met at what they thought was their graduation party. Turns out they’d been planning to propose to each other for months and surprise their friends and families!”

---

Hannah and Ash / 23, 26 / Our Wedding Day / Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, Bentonville, AR / December 18, 2016

“This is one of my favorite photos from my most favorite day! We had a little elopement ceremony with Ash’s immediately family at Crystal Bridges, which is one of our most beloved places to be. It was the only day we got any snow all winter which made the whole day feel so magical.”

---

Ashley, Marine, Edwin, Ali, Cynthia, Carmen, Joy / Our Wedding Day / Aliso Viejo, CA / August 20th, 2016

“This was the first moment we were pronounced married. Our best friend (and incredible queer poet) Edwin Bodney married us in front of our friends and family at Soka University in Southern California. Everything was super personal, even our wedding photographer, Sarah Swindle, was in our A-Camp cabin where we first met!

We could have made a big exit, but we stayed until the very end of the night to celebrate with our friends! Regardless, they helped send us off in a wave of bubbles, and the whole night was over far too fast.”

Carla and Mireya / 31, 25 / First Pride Together As a Couple / NYC Pride / June 25th, 2017

“Along with it being our first pride as a couple, it was Mireya’s last time working pride (and final work day) with friends/co-worker’s at the Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI). She loved her time at HMI. In fact, it was through a co-worker of hers (and long time friend of mine, that had introduced us. Mireya and I have since moved to the Bay Area (end of June) and it was a bittersweet last hurrah/celebration and during a time of pure joy and firsts/lasts for us both. And  personally, it was the first time my big brother came out to support me in such a huge, public manner. And he had a blast alongside us all. Truly a magically last NYC pride with friends, loved ones, and our city! We couldn’t have asked for a better send-off to the West Coast or a better ‘see you later’ to our friends and our favorite city in the world.”

---

Ash and Ilea / 26, 32 / Lady/Lady Wedding! / Portland, OR / September 1st, 2016

---

Bess and Mel / 26 / Six Months Together and Bess’s Graduation / Toronto, ON / June 8, 2016

“I finished my MSW around the same time as our six-month milestone, so we combined the  celebrations. We went for tapas and sangria, and the most amazing churros! It was very romantic. Hale and Harmony, the stuffed animals we’d given each other for Valentine’s Day, celebrated with us. (We didn’t plan the alliteration, we’re just in sync like that.) Our second anniversary is next month; we remain adorable. *ROMO INTENSIFIES*”

---

Lylee and Lindley / Our Wedding! / The Catskills, NY / August 20, 2016

“After seven years of dating, I married my best friend. There were several years of slowly working with some of our family to get them to accept our relationship, but almost all of our family came to the wedding, and we felt loved, supported, and connected to our community. We rented a funky theater with a boarding house, and 20 friends and family helped us pull of the event- from painting signs and directing parking to organizing a Friday night talent show, baking cookies and desserts, and doing our makeup. It was an incredible, the best part is living with my love everyday as we figure out how to be our best for each other and the word around us.”

---

Grace and Kristin / 21, 22 / We Graduated! / Williamsburg, VA / May 11, 2014

“I wish I had better pictures of celebrations since this one but I don’t, so this is my favorite picture ever taken of me and my best friend, on the day we graduated from college.”

---

Laina and Willa / 29, 30 / Wedding / Hood River, OR / July 29th, 2017

---

Rennie / Celebrating Our Gayness / Richmond, VA / November 2017

“A gathering of a bunch of queer ladies / femmes for the purpose of watching The L Word and lovingly ripping it to shreds!”

---

Kate and Charlotte / 27 / Wedding / Court Farm, Bath, England / 18 June, 2017

“My wife and I put a lot of faith in the British summertime, and we had a mostly outside wedding reception on a farm in the Somerset countryside. Luckily the skies smiled on us and this photo just beams out sunshine to me – any time she is happy, I am happy. Okay, it’s super sappy, but surely you’re allowed to be sappy when it’s a wedding?”

---

Abby and Nicole / Our Wedding / Auckland, New Zealand / 8 July, 2017

“I proposed to Nicole in December 2016 after we had had a challenging year. We decided to get married in July (NZ Winter) so we would have something to look forward to during the more miserable months. We had been trying to get pregnant for a long time and on this day we were also lucky enough to tell our close friends and family that I was three months pregnant. It was an incredible day, one we will never forget. The rain even stayed away through the entire outdoor ceremony!”

---

Shetha and Annie / 28, 25 / We Are Married / Seattle, WA / September 30, 2017

“Grateful to be surrounded by friends and family, Shetha Alaskar and Annie Graham celebrated their marriage on September 30, 2017.”

Malia and Lou / 41, 40 / Our Wedding / Yorkshire Dales, UK / 22 October, 2016

“These photos really embody our wedding day!  Our friends all said the love was truly palpable that day. From day one, our relationship has felt really right – something neither of us had previously experienced in our 20+ years of relationships.  I guess love just comes when it’s ready.
Photos by Harriet and Hayley, a queer married couple and photographers behind Weddings Vintage in the UK.”

---

Tamires and Rohanne/ Decided to Be Forever / Brazil / June 11, 2017

“From Canada to Brazil, 10,686 Km couldn’t keep us apart.  At sunrise we walked down to the beach hand in hand.  Exchanged rings and vows, in Portuguese and English.  Then strolled along the water, dazed with goofy smiles on our faces.  Suddenly, words like destiny and soulmate make sense. It really was the Best Day Ever!  Next challenge, the immigration process, send good vibes please.”

---

Emily and Bridget / 27, 35 / Engagement Photo Session / Knoebel’s Amusement Park / July 30, 2017

“Bridget and I have been together for 6 and a half years. We have been through a lot together – from our challenging comings out, living long distance for 4 years, and finally coming together to buy a house and live together after 5 long years of not. She proposed to me on May 5th, 2017 by carving our initials into my favorite tree. We are getting married on July 14, 2018 with the love and support of many amazing friends and family. She is an inspiration to me every single day with her kindness and compassion for others. These photos are a celebration of, not just our engagement, but of our lives together, and the way we have created happiness out of the most challenging of times. Photo Credit: Leslie Ann Photography @leslieannphotographer.”

---

Linda and Sarah / 22 / Getting Hitched!!! / The Essex, Essex, VT / June 16, 2017

“Being married is already more fun than getting married! But it was such a fun day. We had friends and family fly in from all over the country just to celebrate with us, and it was magical to have everyone we love all in one place for a night. Everyone looked amazing, the food was incredible, the prosecco was flowing, and everyone was so happy to be there with us, celebrating our love.”

---

Maddie and Andrea / 21, 20 / Pride Christmas Party / San Antonio, TX / December 11th, 2016

“Andrea organized a get-together for our university’s queers, and Maddie was put in charge of the playlist, which she named “Merry and Gay”. We drank hot chocolate, decorated cookies, and celebrated being a family together at our home-away-from-home.”

---

Emily / 20 / First Day of the Quarter / The Domes, UC Davis / Sept. 27, 2017

“The Domes is the cooperative intentional-community student housing on campus. It’s home to many cool queers who throw great parties, like astrology-themed ones at the beginning of each sign’s season and this bonfire-and-sparklers party to celebrate making it through the first day of class. This party is the reason I showed up hungover to my first English Grammar class the next day, but it was so worth it.”

---

Chelsey Petty Wildman / 28 / Wedding / West Hills, CA / October 6, 2017

“In May of 2013 I met Erin at A-Camp in the Blackhearts cabin. Here we are getting married this past October! Our wedding was such an incredible day of celebration and love and joy and we were so happy to be surrounded by all the people we love most.”

---

Jessica and Ayana / 30, 25 / We Got Married! / Waimanalo Beach, Oahu, HI / April 23, 2017

“It was such an amazing day. We were surrounded by friends and had as small, chill ceremony and then dinner at restaurant. While our marriage isn’t legally recognized in Japan (where we live), Jessica was able to legally change her last name, which is a step toward being recognized as family. We hope to be able to get married l legally in Japan in the future.”

---

Addie and Caissa / 34, 27 / Name Change! / St. Paul, MN / February, 2017

“This was a big day in our lives – especially for Addie. I (Caissa) joined her best friend and her mom as witnesses at her name change hearing. I’m grateful my work let me take an extended break so I could see it. She was nervous, but it all turned out well. I’ve known her as Addie since before we started dating, but I’m glad my girlfriend is officially my girlfriend now. So contrary to the belief of some on Facebook, we are not married. Yet.”

---

Tracey, Elli, and Guests / Getting Married

“Recessional immediately following wedding ceremony. The band was playing “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder. We’d been together for seven years: Dating for four, engaged for three. We did not set the date until it became legal to wed. We had cocktail hour at 7pm, ceremony at 8pm, and partied until 1am with our framily (friends + family). The love was palpable! Our vintage Hollywood theme with wedding with guests in fabulous attire! We’ve an amazing community of chosen family, and love them, so! Sometimes in Michigan it has been difficult to find acceptance, but we’ve fought for the right, and we hope to inspire others to do so.”

Andrea and Sarah / 32 / Marriage / Columbus, Ohio / September 30, 2017

“Andrea and I were married by my younger brother Michael at a queer owned catering company surrounded by loving friends and family. This photo was taken by our amazingly talented LGBTQ photographer Cass at the park within our neighborhood before the ceremony. It was a moment we will never forget and we are forever grateful for all of the love and support we felt that day. Photo taken by Cassandra Zetta.”

---

Caroline, Chen, Heather, Nic, Valerie, Deanna, Stephanie, Dufrau, Matie, Steph, and Laura / Nic and Valerie’s 30th Birthday ExtravaGAYnza / New York, NY / January 14th, 2017

“Just a few of the awesome folks who came out (no pun intended) from all over the East coast to help Nic and I celebrate our 30th birthdays. Approximately 75% of the people who came to this party ended up getting a really horrible flu (both birthday girls included…I’ve never in my life had a fever so high) despite being from different states, ​and some even having gotten the flu shot. But none of them decided to blame or hold it against us (that we know of) so if that’s not friendship, I don’t know what is. PS Those bow ties Nic and I are wearing were light-up bow ties.”

---

Megan, Sarah / 23,28 / Wedding / Kansas City, MO / November 4, 2017

“Here my beautiful girlfriend and I are celebrating my college friends get married! We danced the evening away as the only homos out of the 175 people who were also celebrating.”

---

Noria / 27 / Celebrating Getting a New Job / Lagos / 2017

“Was in my old job for over 4 years and was miserable and depressed, but terrified of moving somewhere new. I finally found the courage to resign and apply to somewhere new; got the job, and decided to get my nose pierced to commemorate the occasion. It seemed like the most personal, solitary and yet profound move I could make at the time. I also got new tattoos but those aren’t showing in the pic.”

---

Lisa, Karey, Leah, Colleen, and Children / Celebrating Night of 1000 Cakes / Brooklyn, NY / 2017

“Night of 1000 Cakes is a multipurpose annual celebration of kinship and chosen family, occurring around May Day. All the participants’ birthdays–and mutual gratitude for our friendship–are rolled into an evening of cakes, candles, wishes, and love. Lisa and Karey brought their daughter, Margot, and Leah and Colleen had their children, Adrien, Bea, and Oliver.”

---

Amaris, Faith, and Rory / 30, 25, 3 / We Eloped / Fargo, ND / May 21st, 2017

“With all of the political unrest, we decided to get our marriage on the books while it was still legal. Our officiant was Faith’s coworker (he did the ceremony for a case of beer) and Amaris’ sister and her husband were the witnesses. The guests were our daycare lady and her little girls, Amaris’s sibling and two young nieces.

We went to Olive Garden after a fifteen minute ceremony. Amaris cried during her vows, where at her first wedding (to Rory’s father), she did not.”

---

Arielle and Misty / 27, 33 / Our Wedding Day / Three Squirrels Winery / May 13, 2017

“It was the most beautiful day of all. Both of our families and friends coming together to celebrate our love and commitment. Even those who may of not supported us from the beginning… It is by far the happiest day of my life! I came out at 31 years old, and my teenage boys walked me down the isle. They’ve never been more proud of me.”

---

Martha and Brooks / Wedding Reception / December 9, 2016

“We got married 9 months before we planned. So our wedding was thrown together in a little over 2 weeks. With the help of our loving friends we were able to pull this off. Our wedding day consisted of- a minor car accident, a debit card hold, forgetting the rings at home, our officiant almost being snowed in, and remembering we needed to get a cake that morning. It was an eventful day filled with love, and I wouldn’t change one thing about it.”

---

Aimee and Sophie / 29, 30 / We Got Wed! / Whistler, Canada / July 3, 2017

---

Nakeeta and Eli / 27, 23 / Marriage / Provincetown, MA / May 20, 2017

“We got engaged in June of 2016 in the wake of Orlando — in tears, saying we never wanted to be without each other. We decided to keep it a secret, knowing our perfect wedding day meant eloping. A couple months before the date, we asked our best friends, Polly and Ryan, to come with us and Ryan agreed to officiate the wedding. That weekend in Provincetown was everything we had hoped for and the way in which Katie Satre captured our celebration was invaluable.

Sasha and Kelly / 26, 28 / We Got Married! / Mount Vernon Country Club, Golden, CO / July 21st, 2017

“After six years of friendship and dating, the legalization of same sex marriage, and many sleepless nights of wedding planning, Kelly and Sasha have their first dance as wife and wife. Those smiles have yet to fade in the months since their incredible wedding day.”

---

Jess and Margaret / We Got Married!! / Honesdale,PA / 2016

“Once upon a time, in the year 2012, Margaret messaged Jess anonymously on Tumblr “I’d cuddle with you baby”, (not even kidding). A month after Skyping/texting/phone calls Margaret bought a ticket to Albuquerque, NM to meet Jess for the first time in person. 4 1/2 years later we got married on Margaret’s parents property in front of our friends and family. It was the best day ever, ever, ever.
*Special memory included…Jess broke her wrist that night at the end of the reception.”

---

Tia and Stephanie / 28, 29 / Wedding / New Orleans, LA / March 26, 2016

“Steph and I knew early on in our relationship that we would get married but living in Louisiana, we weren’t sure if we would ever be able to have a legal wedding in our chosen home city. On June 26th, 2015, the day the supreme court came down with the decision to expand marriage to include same sex couples we got engaged. We initially planned to get married the next day but then decided to wait 9 months and surround ourselves with friends and family. Here is a photo of our ceremony and one of us singing a toasting infused vodka shots to a polish singing toast.”

---

Clark and Olivia / 21, 20 / Holland Project Halloween Show / Reno, NV / 2017

“Every halloween a local all ages art and music venue puts on a Halloween show where the bands dress up as famous musicians and play covers. This year we went as Groot and Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy.”

---

Kerry and Jennifer / Wedding / Neon Sign Museum, Las Vegas, NV / October 09, 2015

“We had been engaged for a few year uncertain what we wanted to do for our wedding. When Nevada made gay marriage legal we knew we had to do it there. We had about 50 people take a double decker bus from our hotel loaded with booze and a sound system, to the Neon Sign Museum. The ceremony was quick and sweet followed by a taco truck, a super drunk bus ride back to the hotel and a huge hotel suite party. Kerry passed out before midnight and Jen stayed up gambling till 5 am with guests. So classic us.”

---

Christy, Sarah, Chuck and Brian / Thirty-Somethings and Sixty-Somethings / Wedding / Pasadena, CA / 2008

---

Monica and Chris / Celebrating Our Second Wedding Anniversary (Two Weeks Late) / Amsterdam

“Chris and I took a vacation to celebrate our wedding anniversary to Iceland and Amsterdam. This was taken at Zaanss Schans. Chris made the hats we are wearing, and mine is my favorite plaid.”

---

Olivia and Giselle / 24 / Getting Married! / WA / September 9, 2017

“This photo encapsulates our wedding to me — a ton of my best friends (who are almost all queer) having a goofy time and recreating a photo from our first friendsgiving together. Back: Caity, Becca, Elly, Sam; Second row: Olivia (my wife!), Jo, and Avi, and me, Giselle (I’m the Leo being lifted… typical.) We were so lucky to celebrate with so many precious people and I still can’t believe that day was real. Love, y’all, it’s the best.”

---

Melissa and Niki / French Quarter Wedding Chapel, New Orleans, LA / January, 2017

“This is my wife and I coming out (not THAT coming out, we were way out here) from getting hitched at the French Quarter Wedding Chapel in New Orleans. We decided to ditch our wedding plans here in St. Petersburg, FL our hometown where our super LGBT friendly mayor was to marry us at city hall in order to have our special day fall under the Obama administration rather than the administration which shall not be named.”

---

Britta and Ida / 30, 31 / We Got Married! / Uppsala, Sweden / Oct 14, 2017

“We got married in a small ceremony with our families and a few friends – we are planning a bigger party this summer, but wanted to keep the actual wedding simple and private. We got married in a church, and when we were on our way there, literally a few minutes before the ceremony, the priest called. “I would normally wear a white stole for a wedding,” he said, “but I just found a rainbow coloured one. Would you mind if I wear it?””

Riese, Laneia, Megan / Our Friends Getting Married! / West Hills, CA / October 6, 2017

“This photo is perfect in every way and I couldn’t love Riese more. We were at Chelsey and Erin’s Wedding (page 6) and it was beautiful! I cried a little but y’all, Megan cried a lot because her heart is a giant and full. Seeing your friends get married is one of the best things about growing up.”

---

Riese, Sarah, Laneia, Megan / Our Friends Getting Married! / West Hills, CA / October 6, 2017

“Once upon a time I assigned Chelsey and Erin to the same cabin at A-Camp and NOW THEY’RE MARRIED! It was a real treat to watch them tie the knot with my girlfriend Sarah, my best friend Laneia, her wife Megan, and also lots of people not in this picture, like tons of Runagayhearts from A-Camp and The Famous Comic Book Writer Formerly Known as Intern Grace. Lesbian weddings have become one of my favorite things about being a grown-up ’cause I get to see friends I don’t see nearly enough and there’s always an open bar.”

Jack and Darcy / Our Wedding Day / Cheesman Park, Denver, CO / May 30, 2017

“My spouse and I on our wedding day this past spring, May 30th, 2017. He’s a trans man, I’m a queer non-binary person. Jack and Darcy. We had been best friends for 4 years and then the 2016 election happened…We both realized that not only did we have the same values (social justice activism and fighting a motherfucker) we also realized we wanted to build a life together based on those values. 6 months later after his legal name and gender change, we got hitched in Cheesman Park near our home in Denver. It was a small ceremony with close friends and family. Amidst the passages from The Little Prince and our promise to “love each other well, every day we have,” we had this section of Ellen Page’s coming speech, ” What I have learned is that love — the beauty of it, the joy of it, and yes, even the pain of it — is the most incredible gift to give and to receive as a human being. And we deserve to experience love fully, equally, without shame, and without compromise.”  This photo was snapped totally impromptu by our good friend Karissa at our pizza munching reception afterward. We have fought so hard to be who we are and we will continue to fight for the rights of others for as long as we have!”

---

Laura, Lisa, Jodi, Elizabeth, Arwynn, Holly, Andrea, Ashley, Laura, Heather / 32-40 / Lesbian Murder Mystery Totally 80s Prom / Gainesville, FL / July, 2017

“Our amazing group of lesbian friends in beautifully liberal Gainesville celebrating each other.”

---

Ella, Dijana, Octavia and Rita / 28, 34, 1, 28 / Octavia’ First Birthday / Melbourne, Australia / 22 August, 2016

“We did a Wonderwoman theme for Octavia’s birthday because of course we did and she’s happy as long things are shiny and she can eat them. Her first year was amazing and wonderful also the hardest thing we’ve ever done. It was 100% worth a celebration. Rita is her godmother, she delivered doughnuts to the hospital the day Octavia was born so there was no other choice really (she also wanted me to add that she’s currently single).”

---

Sarah / 30 / Drea and Paige’s Lesbian Wedding / Michigan / October 14, 2017

“My partner and I technically met online in 2007 in the deep recesses of the fandom interwebs on a forum for the television show South of Nowhere. Fast-forward to now—we’ve been a couple for seven years and here we are attending this lesbian wedding for our friend Drea , who was also on the forum!”

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9See entire article on one page