Love and how to find it

10 Valentine’s Romances That Will Warm Your Heart

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littlelove

We gays have a love/hate relationship with love stories. On one hand, who can resist a good sweep-you-off-your-feet? But on the other, most popular romantic movies are by, about, and for heterosexuals. Where’s the gay Romeo & Julie? Our Robin Hood and Maid Marian? Our Angel and Buffy? (Okay, that last example might not be one to aspire to.)

To be fair, there have been some really lovely films about same-sex romance, like Trick, Beautiful Thing or Weekend. (There’s a special Valentine’s Day episode of the podcast Sewers of Paris this week about the romantic films that gay men love, featuring interviews with luminaries like Louis Virtel, Kevin Yee, Edd Kimber, and more.)

But for many gays, there’s something a bit more inspiring about real-life romances. We can’t resist a those true stories about queer couples who found a way to triumph in spite of the odds. And seeing other LGBTs tell their stories in their own words — well, what could be sweeter?

And so, if you’re looking for something that’ll warm your heart, look no further than this video. Queerty’s Matt Baume asked his followers to send him stories of how they met their partners, and many responded with short videos.

Here are some of the highlights, and see Matt’s video…

1. Beard Bros

Jason met his partner on a Facebook group for “Gay Boys with Beards.” They knew it was meant to be when they discovered they were both playing as Taurens in World of Warcraft. Six years later, they’re still going strong.

2. First Time Out

Brennen went out to a gay bar with his co-worker for the first time, and the co-worker’s roommate just wouldn’t stop talking to him. Oblivious, it took a while for Brennen to realize that the roommate had taken a liking to him. But it didn’t take that much longer to realize that the feeling was mutual.

3. Miracle Cure

Scix took a strange route to meet his love, and it all started with an earache. He had heard that one cure was to have someone blow smoke in your ear. But since none of his roommates smoked, he walked across the street to a cafe. A cute boy was sitting there smoking a clove cigarette, and Scix asked him for help. They both found it a little weird, but before long they were falling in love.

4. Backstage Romance

Greg and his husband met backstage at a production of King Lear, and at first they wanted nothing to do with each other. But like the best screwball comedies, they couldn’t deny their chemistry. Especially when their friends couldn’t stop trying to set them up. They’ve been together for 23 years now.

5. What will the Relatives Think

Stevie met his partner on Grindr. “Committed in 25 days, engaged 2 years and 19 days later,” he wrote. “Our running joke is to have a tacky Grindr themed wedding with school bus yellow tuxes.” They also joked about filling the wedding party with headless torsos, but might just scale it back and tell the guests that they have to introduce themselves by saying “sup.”

6. Shall we Dance

Patrick met his partner at a tango class. “When I was inviting him to dance he had to look around because he thought I couldn’t be possibly asking him out,” Patrick wrote. “I really wanted to dance with him because he had the softest and warmest embrace. He later asked me out to dinner one evening and the rest is history.” They’ll be dancing together later this year at Montreal’s Queer Tango Festival in May.

7. Nerd Culture

Rob Roberts, the Editor in Chief of the Voice of Geeks network, met his boyfriend on LiveJournal. They had mutual friends, and then met in person my chance at a “Video Games Live” concert. Clearly, the stars were aligning.

8. Feeling’s Mutual

A user named ConvincingPeople shared a story about meeting his partner on a music forum. But it took a while for romance to bloom: this other fellow was dating someone else for years. But after a breakup, CP found himself getting closer and closer and closer over the next year. “Eventually, it clicks… and I freak the fuck out,” he wrote. “After a few weeks of waffling, I tell him flat out that I love him. Turns out he felt the same way. A few months later, we meet in person, and I find that I love him even more. We’ve been together for nearly three years now and I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

9. Office Romance

Matt and his partner met in college. Both worked on a student television show, and when one quiet writer submitted a script, Matt loved it. But he had forgotten than they ever met, and so he called the mysterious writer to introduce himself. That’s when he realized that the man he was talking to was already a member of his staff. They became fast friends, and twoish years later, both realized that they didn’t want to imagine life apart. Matt’s going to be hosting a live video chat about love stories this Saturday at noon Pacific, joined by guest Brady Ginn and Cody Melcher of Tomefoolery.

10. Right Place, Right Time

Malcom and his partner met on the dating site Plenty of Fish. They had both just left bad relationships, but something about their profiles made them want to take a chance on each other. They bonded over video games and quickly moved in together, and Malcom encouraged him to come fully out of the closet. “Can’t move into anything like marriage without knowing we’re not hiding it from anyone!” he writes. The partner is now out to his parents — a major milestone.

 

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