Reflections of a Married Woman

I am married to a women. Truthfully, I think this is one of my superpowers. In business and in life. One women is powerful at any table; two can turn things into magic, especially when they are in sync like Stace and I are. How I ever got so lucky to have Stacey Pierce as my person, co-founder, wingwoman, and partner in crime (and celebrations), I'll never know. But I'll forever be grateful.

It hasn't always been an easy journey though. I've walked a boulder- and pothole-filled windy road in getting to where I am now... unbelievably proud of this woman by my side.

Truth is, people aren't always comfortable with two women at the helm. And two married women at that. Unless you've done something "out of the norm", it's hard to understand what it's like to be different. The majority of leaders in our outdoor industry and manufacturing circles are male. Few are women. And even fewer are married women.

Stace and I feel that we've been given a calling, deep in our souls, to rise up and make a difference.

I read something today that I found myself saying "YES!" to. And, I couldn't not share it because, just maybe there are some others of you out there on either "side" who might need to read it too.

These words below are not my words, but the words of a dear, long-time friend. Thanks, Matt, for so eloquently saying what so many feel.

Matt's post:

Long, vulnerable post with strong opinions. If that's not your thing, keep scrolling.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've read posts on my Facebook "friends" walls complaining about gay pride month. Some of the more tame posts have been "why do they need a whole month", "what's there to be proud of" "why be proud of disgusting behavior" and "when do we get straight pride month".

Pride Month is not about being proud of being gay. It's about taking pride in your true, authentic self and stepping out of the shadows with confidence. It's about not hiding who you are as a person. For many people, this is not easy.

For many of us, this is a long, painful, and complex journey. I was 36 years old when I made peace with myself that I was gay and went on my first date with a guy. This set off a chain of events which included the loss of friends (a lot of friends), some tough, confrontational conversations and emails and letters from Christian friends reminding me my "choice" was condemning me to hell. And yet, there is nothing more important than the freedom that comes with stepping out of the shadows and living authentically. Pride month is here for all of the people like me who just need to know they aren't alone and it's okay to be you.

And, with the hateful posts by the keyboard warriors, legislators drafting laws to take away equal rights, and Uhauls loaded up with men with batons, shields and tear gas enroute to a pride event, now more than ever we need a Pride Month.

I support religious freedom. I believe that all places of worship have the right to include and exclude whomever they want based on their faith. I fully support any religious leader, pastor, or priest's right to decline to officiate a wedding that does not meet the guidelines of their faith. I support the right of all private religious schools to teach and talk about the faith, and their beliefs and to restrict the teaching of anything they don't believe.

And, I demand and expect that the secular government gives me and my family the same, equal rights to marriage and family that everyone else has. It's an equal right, not a special exception.

You don't get to call yourself a "patriot" and not support equal, secular rights for ALL people, not just those of your same faith:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

I am not "less than". My family is not "less than". And yet the shouts of bigotry and hate are growing louder every day. And the louder they shout the more necessary it becomes to have a pride month.

If you've never woken up wondering if some elected official was going to introduce legislation to invalidate your family, take away your rights to participate in family health care decisions or require your children to keep silent in their public school about their family then you don't need a Pride Month.

And here's my last opinion now, specifically for some of my Christian friends. Spare me your I support biblical principles non-sense. You are anti-gay, not pro-biblical values. I know this because you only loudly condemn us for being gay, but you don't do the same for other sexual ethics issues. You lean on 6 biblical verses to condemn homosexuality and you ignore the 200+ verses that condemn divorce, pre-marital sex and adultery. When you start introducing legislation to do away with the ability to divorce, when you start protesting against pre-marital sex, when you start loudly condemning adultery and enacting penalties for doing such, then maybe I'll believe you that it's about biblical principles. Until then, you are only targeting me and my family and not standing up for biblical principles.

I have never been to a Gay Pride event. Not sure if I ever will. But I'm incredibly thankful for those in the gay community that continues to stand out and celebrate and stick up for equal rights.

For those of you that made it this far, thanks for listening. I'm sure the "friend" count will go down a bit today. No problem at all. I'd rather know clearly who is with us and who is against us.

I am not less than. My family is not less than. And we won't sit back quietly while others try to make us feel so.

We can all be better. Love is a great choice. Always. Happy Pride month!