Bishop Yvette Flunder and her spouse of 30 years, "Mother" Shirley Miller, were in Singapore for the Amplify Conference recently. We celebrated Mother Miller's 72nd birthday during the conference and we were delighted when Bishop said she wanted to sing a song to her beloved on her birthday. She paused for a moment to think of what to sing and smiled, saying, "Oh I know!" Then she took Mother Miller's hand tenderly in hers and started singing acapella:

                    You are so beautiful to me
                    You are so beautiful to me
                    Can't you see?
                    You're everything I hoped for
                    You're everything I need
                    You are so beautiful to me  

There was not a dry eye in the room. The way she looked so adoringly at Mother Miller, the sincere and heartfelt way she sang to her as if she was the only person in the room, touched all of us who had the privilege to witness such love and devotion.

After the conference ended, I had the rare opportunity to spend some time with Bishop Flunder and asked her if she would share her love story with us. She was very happy to do so and the following was what she shared.  

Pauline: So Bishop, would you please tell us how you and Mother Miller met one another?

Bishop: Well, I grew up in the Church of God and our families knew each other. I was always passionate about justice and Aids work and being a same-gender loving woman, it was hard for me to remain in the Church of God. So I left the church and went into social justice work. After some time, I started attending Bishop Walter Hawkin's church and Shirley was Bishop Hawkins' niece. She was a gospel singer and we became really close friends travelling on the road together. Things started getting more serious between us and we talked a lot about our friendship that was developing into something more. We were very close and talked about many things, and we had deep discussions over whether this was just a relationship of convenience. But we both knew what we had with one another was different --- there was a deep sense of connection and kinship. We also talked about life mapping and planning together. So we started out being very close friends and our relationship matured into a physical and sensual one. That is probably the reason why we have lasted so long together, I think. Unlike many lesbian couples that start out their relationship with sex, we started out talking a lot with one another and it slowly matured into a sensual relationship. I simply adored her and I thought it would be really great if we could establish a relationship. I thought she was too good for me and she thought likewise about me. (laughs) We both felt we were marrying up and that is probably the secret to our enduring love.        

Pauline: How did people around you react when they found out you were together?  It probably wasn't easy, especially back then?

Bishop: We both came out and had to deal with our families as well as the whole gospel music ministry. It wasn't easy and we lost some friends along the way but you know, we were surprised by how our children dealt with the situation. Shirley and I spent weeks preparing what to say to our children and we arranged to have a special dinner where we would explain to them that we were together. The funny thing was when we told the children that we were an item, my daughter who was about 6 years old at that time said, "Yes, we already know. So what's for dinner?" Kids truly know love when they see and experience it so that was that. It was the adults who had more problems with us being together. Interestingly, some of our worst critics were gay people. You see, Shirley and I entered pastoral ministry as a couple and it was just not done at that time. Gay people could not accept that we were a same-gender loving couple who were doing pastoral ministry together. We challenged their mindsets about what was possible and we had to deal with the criticism. Many believed that we wouldn't last, much less thrive. But here we are 30 years on and still going strong and that has shut the critics up. (laughs)   

Pauline: How have you seen your relationship grow over the years?

Bishop: I love her. She's twelve and a half years older than me. And some time ago, we talked about our age gap and said, "What are we going to do? You'll be 70 and I'll be 58." But you know, we are so close to each other organically, our age doesn't make a difference. We have gone through so much together and we have each other. We know that we will be together until one of us dies. She's my heart, the love of my life. You know, one of our church members said the reason why our church has grown so much over the years is not because of our programs. It's because of our love for each other. Our love has shown people that a great love like this is possible.   

Pauline: Bishop, thank you so much for inspiring us and showing us that a great love like this is possible. Both of your presence and the love you embody has made such a significant impact on me as well as many others. We thank God so much for the both of you!

In a video posted to Vimeo last month by production company Generations Cinemastories, newlyweds Robin and Lucia share their adorable love story, from the day they met to their dreams for the future.

The cutest part of their story? Their engagement. In the video above, the women explain that they got manicures and pedicures together, then decided to go zip-lining. As they zipped next to each other through the trees, Lucia popped the question.

"I said, 'Hey baby, you wanna get married?'" Lucia said.

"And I said, 'Yeah baby, I wanna marry YOU!'" Robin said.

Then, as they walked along a wharf in Boston later that night, Robin got down on one knee to pop the question to Lucia -- but she opened the ring box upside down.

"I think [Lucia] actually burst out laughing, and [she] was like, 'I love you,'" Robin said. "I was like, 'What's wrong?'"

Watch the videos of their love story and highlights from their recent wedding.

From: Huffington Post

This is just sweet and cute....

"Treble, a NYC-based semi-professional a cappella group, was hired for our first proposal gig... We learned and practiced Bruno Mars' Marry You for several weeks leading up to the occasion, which was to take place 10/18 at the High Line Park.

But then came the REAL surprise: Nicole arrived for the "gig", and was perplexed to see Treble start the song without her. She scurried over thinking she was late, and jumped into the arc... she even sang a few notes... that is until she looked around and saw 40+ friends and family members standing by with cameras watching...HER!

Yes, it was Treble's own Lily proposing to Nicole with this surprise-of-a-lifetime."

First published on Oct 19, 2012

On 1 March 2013, Koyuki Higashi and Hiroko became the first same-sex couple to hold a wedding in the Tokyo Disney Resort.

Higashi, 28, and her partner of one-and-a-half years tied the knot in front of 30 well-wishers last Friday. "My love Hiroko and I wore wedding dresses and had a mini-parade in DisneySea, a place I also love," Higashi said on Twitter.

"I was really happy!" she said.

The couple first hit the headlines after the theme park initially told them there would be no problem with the ceremony provided they dressed "like a man and a woman". A staff member said a same-sex wedding would create "repercussions" among visitors if both brides wore wedding dresses or both grooms donned tuxedoes.

A week later, the organizers at Milial Resort Hotels, a subsidiary of the company that runs Tokyo Disney, got back to Higashi with good news: both brides were welcome to wear wedding dresses (or both tuxedos, for that matter).

Milial Resort Hotels issued an apology. “Initially, there was an incomplete understanding on the part of our staff over the requirement for dresses,” said Jun Abe, a Milial spokeswoman. “If we caused them sadness and discomfort, we are sorry.”

Of course, their dream wedding did leave something to be desired for the couple: legal standing.

"Whether there is a law or not, we are just who we are. Hiroko and I got married because we want to be together for the rest of our lives. It has nothing to do with whether this is a same-sex or opposite-sex wedding. We may not have a law that applies to us, but when someone congratulates us for getting married, I want to proudly say 'thank you!'" Higashi wrote in her blog.

Japan does not recognize same-sex marriages, though there seems little in the way of religious opposition from Buddhism, imported from China, or Japan’s native Shinto religion. But in conformist Japan where differences are not encouraged, societal acceptance is still sorely lacking. 

Higashi came out less than three years ago after a stage career, while Hiroko says she cannot use her full name widely because some family members are not fully comfortable with her sexuality.

Hiroko said, however, that she was emboldened by the response the couple had received from friends, family and social media, and that she hoped that her wedding helped create a public discussion.

“This could prompt Japan to question why it so often ignores or discriminates against minorities,” Hiroko said. “Mostly we just want people to know that gay people exist for real, and we would like to hold weddings like everyone else.”

The slide show below contains the photos that were posted on Twitter by Koyuki Higashi and friends of the couple. Many of the photos included warm wishes and poignant thoughts about what it means to be married to the person you love, regardless of gender.   

Watch: Reuters video coverage of Koyuki and Hiroko's wedding 

From: Koyuki Higashi's Blog, Straits Times, New York Times

Read more: Tokyo Disneyland Gets Ready For Its First Same-Sex Wedding

As part of its “Find Yours” campaign, Expedia.com® introduced a video, titled “Find Your Understanding” that follows a father’s journey, both literal and figurative, as he deals with conflicting emotions relative to his lesbian daughter’s same-sex marriage. The short video is composed of real footage taken of the father and daughter and you can watch it below.

This journey was undertaken by Artie Goldstein, a retired business owner and father to Jill Sloane Goldstein. Nikki Weiss, Jill’s girlfriend, “startled” Nikki’s father one afternoon when she asked for permission to marry his daughter. Artie had a dream for his daughter that included a traditional marriage and grandkids. “This is not the dream I had for my daughter....I had some real apprehensions,” he says. “What’s this going to look like, two girls getting married?” 

The central premise of his story is the realization that he had to choose whether or not he would maintain a relationship with his daughter.

"This was a situation I had to come to understand. Once we got out to California and saw how happy they were, all that trepidation just seemed to go away," he says.

In his speech at their wedding reception, Artie tells the radiant Jill and her wife Nikki, 

"When Jill was born, there was a certain spark in her eye and a glow in her heart...when she got a little older, all of a sudden, that spark that I looked for in your eyes, in your heart, I didn't see. And it pained us greatly. All of a sudden..BAM...there's Nikki and that spark is back. And we are just so happy that we have our Jill back. And now we have Nikki. We love you both." 

Find out more: Nikki & Jill

Nikki & Jill shared the joyful news that Jill is expecting their first child due 9 October 2012 --- the date of their wedding anniversary. The Weiss-Goldsteins got married on 9 October 2010.

Watch their wedding vows here:
Wedding Vows Part 1 - Nikki & Jill, America

Find out more:
Nikki & Jill: Official Facebook Page

“Do you, Ya-ting, take Mei-yu to be your companion for life, to have and to hold, in sickness and in heath, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto her for as long as you both shall live?” Buddhist Master Shih Chao-hwei asked Yu in front of more than 100 guests attending the wedding and a statue of a sitting Buddha, after reciting Buddhist chants and a teaching on the meaning of marriage.

“I do,” Yu answered.

Shih then turned to Huang and asked the same question, to which Huang also answered “Yes.”

The two women became the first same-sex couple to marry in a Buddhist ceremony in Taiwan on Saturday, an act the brides hope will prompt the country to recognize marriage equality.

Agence France-Presse reports on the wedding of Fish Huang Mei-Yu and You Ya-ting, both 30, at a monastery in Taoyuan in northern Taiwan. Shih Chao-hwei, a female Buddhist minister and social activist, presided over the ceremony.

"We are witnessing history. The two women are willing to stand out and fight for their fate... to overcome social discrimination," she said, according to AFP, with nearly 300 Buddhist attendees chanting sutras to bless the couple. The brides’ parents did not attend because of concerns about the media attention.

The historic wedding, which is not legally binding, took place as advocates in Taiwan continue to press the government to recognize same-sex unions. Gay rights groups want President Ma Ying-jeou, who has previously called for public consensus on the issue, to push for legislation before his term ends in 2016. The couple, married Saturday, wrote an open letter to President Ma asking him to recognize same-sex marriage as soon as possible, according to the Taipei Times.

In Taipei, both Lisa and I started grinding our teeth during the night again. My jaw feels sore each morning, and I find myself massaging the sides of my face throughout the day in hopes of loosening the tension. Meanwhile, Lisa has gone on a (so far fruitless) search for a mouth guard.

Why all this molar-damaging tension? Quite simply, my family is in Taipei.

I’ve written previously about my struggle with my parents over my sexuality and our unsuccessful attempt to find some resolution through family counseling. Since leaving home in June, I’ve kept in regular contact with my parents, updating them on my whereabouts and doing my best to allay their concerns about my heath and safety.

Since the blowouts from family counseling, we steer clear from discussing anything that may bring conflict. Of course, my parents know that I am traveling with Lisa. They just try to acknowledge that fact as little as possible. On my part, I haven’t pushed the issue, though I don’t go out of my way to shield them from Lisa’s presence either.

So, when I learned that my mother would happen to be in Taiwan at the same time as us, I knew that there would be conflict. In her mind, my mom expected that I should spend part of my three weeks in Taiwan staying with her and our relatives. When I argued back that I wasn’t about to leave Lisa alone at a hostel, my mother got upset and accused me of being co-dependent. Eventually we agreed on a compromise – I would set aside time to go see her and the relatives on my own, but I would return at night to Lisa.

To explain the situation to my relatives without raising any suspicion about who I was with, my mother made up the story that I was traveling with several other friends (including a man, to appease any concerns about my safety). As a result, I found myself constantly having to make up stories about what my “friends” were doing when I wasn’t with them and being sent home with bags of treats from my grandma to give to my “friends back at the hostel.” The facade was nearly blown one day when Lisa and I ran into my grandfather while walking in the street. Later when my grandpa asked me if Lisa was “the boy” from my group, I just silently nodded.

Given that it was my mom’s birthday and that these few weeks would be the only time I would see her all year, I reluctantly played along with the act. The stress of a double life took its toll, and after every family event I returned to Lisa utterly exhausted and unconsolably irritable.

And hanging over my head the entire time was the fact that I have yet to tell my parents about our engagement. The thought fills me with such dread that I’ve decided to simply not think about it. So, each time I visit my family, I take off my ring. And each time I return home, Lisa faithfully puts it back on and reminds me that I am her family now. I told Lisa I would write a letter to them once we were on a different continent, hoping that they will somehow accept (or at least tolerate) this news by the time I return home next June.

A few times, Lisa suggested that I should just drop the act and come out with the truth to everyone. But this only upset me, and I accused her of pushing me too hard and not understanding my family or culture. When she tried to sympathize with me and said that my mother was being unreasonable, for whatever reason I only got more upset. Poor Lisa. No wonder she is grinding her teeth.

The ironic thing is that after all my effort on behalf of my parents to hide the truth about their prodigal deviant homosexual daughter, my relatives already knew. I found this out when, over my mother’s birthday lunch, her older sister leaned over and whispered, “How are you two doing? I know, I saw your Facebook…”

Shocked that my aunt knew and surprised that she actually brought it up (you have to understand, like most Asian families, my family approaches sticky situations by simply not talking about it), I could barely stammer a reply. After more whispering, I learned that one of my cousins in Taiwan had found my Facebook page and had spread the news about my relationship status to the rest of my mother’s sisters and brothers.

When I later cornered my aunt in a grocery store and asked her what the family’s reaction was, she said non-chalantly, “What of it? In Taiwan, there is a lot of this.” I breathed a sigh of relief. But she confessed that she was scared to bring up the subject with my mom for fear of upsetting her.

The lack of condemnation from my mother’s relatives was hopeful, but my greatest encouragement came from a surprise visit on my father’s side of the family. Thanks to Facebook (again), I’d recently reconnected with my two cousins in Michigan, Vivian and Angeline, who have been sending Lisa and I some wonderful messages of support. Their mother happened to be in Taiwan as well, and when we met over dinner, my aunt took the chance when the rest of the family was out of the room to grab my hand and express her congratulations over my engagement and tell me that her family would certainly be in attendance at the wedding.

For the first time, I returned back to Lisa that night with a smile on my face. There’s not much to hide anymore. And somewhere in this family, there is even some support.

That is enough hope for me to start composing that letter to my parents.

This entry by Jenni was first posted on October 19, 2011. Read the other parts of their story here. 

Jenni and Lisa have been together for more than 3 years and they traveled the world for a year in search of gay people who are creating change for the LGBTQ community. Their project, Out and Around: Stories of a Not-So-Straight Journey is a collection of their conversations with these "Supergays" around the world.

Find out more at www.outandaround.com

One of the many wonderful things about being in a same-sex relationship is that there are no set rules. Unbeknownst to each other, both of us have been planning to propose to the other during this trip. This week, on the beautiful island of Boracay in the Philippines, we both said ‘yes.’

Jenni’s Story

Lisa had once mentioned that if she got married, she would want to use her grandfather’s ring. So when I decided that after two years together (not to mention making the decision to leave our jobs and homes to travel the world for a year) I was ready to make a life commitment, I drove down to San Jose to talk to Lisa’s family and get the ring.

For the past two and half months, I’ve kept this ring clipped, zipped and duct-taped into the inside of my purse as we travel on the other side of the world. Knowing how much Lisa’s family means to her, I asked our good friends Krista and Gilda to make a video with messages from all of Lisa’s extended family at home. Once the video was ready, it was just a matter of figuring out the right time and place.

Lisa’s mom was born in the Philippines, so I decided that the Philippines would be the most meaningful place to her. However, I had one problem. My original plan was to propose to her by writing a song to her with my guitar, but I had no guitar and no clue how to procure one. We were already half way through our Philippines itinerary and I was about to give up my original songwriting plans when we ended up in Mactan, Cebu – an overrated tourist town that isn’t all that spectacular except for the one serendipitous fact that it is famous for producing and exporting guitars. So, I purchased a guitar and worked on my song any chance that I got out of earshot from Lisa.

Our last destination in the Philippines was Boracay, and with its turquoise ocean and incredible white sand beach, I decided that this was the time to go for it. I convinced Lisa to go on a sunset walk, and after some protest from her (“I really don’t want to go on a hike, can we just sit on those beach chairs?”), I found a secluded spot on the far end of the beach for us to sit down.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t all that nervous once we sat down. It felt natural, like all the many other times we’ve sat down on beaches back in California together and I’ve strummed random songs while Lisa read a magazine (usually Oprah or People, what a girl!). Only this was the first time I had written a song for her, which included incredibly poetic Grammy-worthy lines like “you add the lime and salt to life’s margarita, you bring the salsa into my tortilla” and ended with a promise to “be by your side for the rest of my life” and the question “now’s my turn to ask, won’t you be my wife?”

After months of hearing that I wasn’t ready to get married (my attempt to throw her off track), Lisa was totally shocked when I pulled out her grandpa’s ring and asked her to marry me. She was so shocked that I had to sing the song twice in order to get her to say yes. Then, she told me that she too had been planning to propose to me and had gone so far as to get the ring. When we returned back to our hotel, Lisa got on one knee and proposed to me with her mother’s ring which is absolutely beautiful. Of course I said yes.

Lisa’s Story

I’ve been holding the diamond ring in my backpack the past two months. Staying in budget hostels in the developing world, I would nervously check everyday to make sure the cleaning lady hadn’t stolen it. I would also jump to push Jenni aside anytime she wanted to grab something from my bag. I couldn’t wait to propose to Jenni. I talked to my sister a month before we left on our trip, and we agreed that it would be special for Jenni to have our mother’s ring. I also confided in my buddy Krista about my upcoming plans.

I had almost popped the question the night before our launch party in San Francisco. I planned for us to walk on the beach in our neighborhood, then have dinner at the picturesque Cliff House restaurant, and then stay in a hotel downtown. But my sister, knowing that Jenni had other plans, tried to dissuade me by telling me that it would be better to do it after we started our trip. My plan ultimately went down the toilet when, on the day I was going to propose, Jenni was in a complete frenzy with the planning of our launch party and refused to go on a walk with me. So, I lost the money on the hotel room and decided I would wait until her birthday in Bali.

Only one problem…Jenni had started to suspect that I was going to propose on her birthday and she told me that she wasn’t ready to get engaged and that I should hold off. Talk about heartache! I called my sister at home sadly telling her how disappointed I felt. I knew Jenni was worth any wait, but I was confused as to why she wasn’t ready. I immediately thought about sending the ring home so that it would be safe.

So, the first reaction that I had when Jenni popped the question to me on the beach was shock – Shocked that my commitment-phobic partner had been planning this proposal since the beginning of the year. When she sang me the song and got to the line about being her wife, all I could say was “Really?” Once I realized that Jenni was being serious, I said ‘yes’ with a huge smile especially since I knew I had an additional surprise for her with my ring.

After our proposals, we watched the video that Krista had made with messages from my family. We laughed out loud watching my sister and Krista give a play-by-play account of our separate plans to propose. I cried when my extended family gave many heartfelt wishes and welcomed Jenni into the family.

I couldn’t be happier, not only because Jenni said ‘yes’ but also because we have another ten months of honeymooning together. I look forward to returning to California to celebrate with everyone, and I’m hopeful that the time will come soon when our marriage can be legally recognized at home.

This entry by Jenni was first posted on September 4, 2011. Read the other parts of their story here. 

Jenni and Lisa have been together for 3 years and they traveled the world for a year in search of gay people who are creating change for the LGBTQ community. Their project, Out and Around: Stories of a Not-So-Straight Journey is a collection of their conversations with these "Supergays" around the world.

Find out more at www.outandaround.com

Tokyo (Reuters) - Like many Japanese women, Koyuki Higashi adores Tokyo Disneyland. So it was only natural that she would want to hold her wedding there, as many other couples have done.

"My partner and I just love going to Disneyland, so when we saw a pamphlet advertising wedding receptions by the Cinderella Castle in Tokyo Disneyland we called and asked if we could hold our wedding there," Higashi told Reuters in a telephone interview.

But Higashi is openly lesbian and her upcoming commitment ceremony is being characterised in the media as the first "gay wedding" to be held at Japan's Magic Kingdom.

While U.S. President Barack Obama came out in favour of same-sex weddings last week, such a political stance remains a distant dream in Japan, where civil unions are not legally allowed and simply being openly gay remains taboo for many, even though there are no laws against homosexuality.

When Higashi gave them details of her plans, the hotel initially had one request.

"When I explained it would be with my female partner they hesitated and asked that one of us wear a tuxedo as the sight of two people with the same wedding dress would make other visitors to the park uncomfortable," Higashi said.

After she questioned this, the resort promised to check things out and get back to her. A week later, Higashi was told she and her partner would be allowed to both wear wedding dresses, or both tuxedos, if so inclined.

"We have never refused a request for a same-sex marriage," said a spokeswoman at Milial Resort Hotels, a subsidiary of Tokyo Disney Resort.

"As for the issue of clothing, initially there was incomplete understanding on the part of our staff."

After Higashi posted about the issue on her blog, a flood of social media commentary caught the attention of the media, which said that Tokyo Disneyland was now in the gay wedding business.

The spokeswoman said that while there were no special wedding packages on offer, gay couples could choose to take part in whatever reception plan they fancied. Higashi and her partner chose the "Disney Royal Dream Wedding," which includes greetings by Disney characters and use of the Cinderella Castle.

Nevertheless, the twitter frenzy over the issue caught the attention of the local media both traditional and online, which all proclaimed Tokyo Disneyland now open for gay wedding business.

Higashi, who is also a gay activist in Japan, said she hoped her decision would help open public conversation about an issue that has yet to be broadly discussed socially as well as politically.

"There are no civil unions in Japan or any laws that would protect our relationships," she said, noting that part of the problem lies within the still largely closeted gay community, which fears the repercussions of stepping forward.

"There is still a lot of prejudice at work and in people's homes to prevent a lot of us from coming out," she said. "Also when the only public gays you see are the comedians on television who are the butt of public ridicule, it's hard to find a good reason to come out."

For now, Higashi said she was looking forward to planning her wedding reception, though a firm date has yet to be set.

"We can only continue to press on for change and hope for change," she added.

Read more in The Straits Times, Yahoo News or Reuters