When Kimberlee Stevenson picked up a copy of “Until I Saw Your Smile” by the romance writer J.J. Murray in 2016, she had no idea that she would one day become the subject of one of his books. Mr. Murray accepted her Facebook friend request, and after quietly following her life through her posts, he turned his admiration into a 235-page novel. In 2018, Mr. Murray broke his silence by sending Ms. Stevenson the email that sparked their own love story. The couple were married on April 30.
Like many librarians who make a living categorizing books by their subjects, Jess deCourcy Hinds, the writer of this week’s Modern Love essay, has always depended on the Dewey Decimal system to make certain that each book lands in its rightful place. However, as a woman who has dated both men and women, and someone who finds comfort in categorization, she often wondered where she fit in the L.G.B.T.Q.A.I.+ classification spectrum after marrying a man. After years of feeling like she didn’t fit in, she finally learned to embrace being queer.
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June is Pride Month, and although the pandemic canceled most events last year, the celebration of the L.G.B.T.Q.A.I.+ community is back with a mix of in-person and online events. Here’s a selection of events to help you celebrate face to face.
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