Members of the Out & About Newspaper family were able to celebrate the recent nuptials of our webmaster Ryan Huber to his partner John. The wedding ceremony was held Oct. 8 at The Arts Club in Washington D.C. The Hubers first met in 2002 on the campus at the University of Mississippi, where Ryan was attending.
They have been together ever since. Some highlights of their life together include: trips to Greece, Mexico, and various cities throughout the U.S. ;purchase of a home in 2008; adoption of their dogs Kaylee (a Shih Tsu / Pekingese) and River (Siberian Husky); as well as wonderful times with family and friends.
As they were growing up, both John and Ryan faced the very real prospect of never being able to marry who they truly loved.
"There was a time during my coming out process that I believed that I would have to forgo marrying the person I fell in love with since I knew that person would be a man," John says.
"When I first started to realize that I was gay, I was deeply affected by the thought that I would never be able to get married," Ryan adds. "I suppose I had imagined exactly how it would be for so long. Over time, I shed these preconceived notions of the necessity of getting married, but when attending other weddings I couldn't help but be reminded that this was something I really wanted.”
As Ryan and John continued their life together, the idea of marriage became more important.
“I think some might wonder why we would get married when everyone considers us lifelong partners already” Ryan muses. “We're choosing to get married because people in our society know what ‘being married’ means. It connotes a level of commitment that is different than ‘boyfriend’ or even ‘partner.’”
It's the couple's hope that eventually same-sex marriage will be a normal occurrence that others can celebrate as they wish.
"I would love to see the country reach a point where we don't have to call it 'same sex marriage' and it just becomes marriage," John says.
And so, on a beautiful fall day in Washington D.C., surrounded by friends and family, and in a historic setting that has served as a home to poets, painters, and a sitting President of the United States, John Waller gave his hand to Ryan Huber. We wish them all the best.