The Lens

Smile High City – Colorado Governor Gets Married

Yes, we admit it: queer life is a non-stop rollercoaster of glitter, glam and gorgeous same-sex rendezvous. There’s never a dull moment, unless you consider disco naps to be dull.

Surely, we jest.

The gays can be as boring as tapioca pudding. We’ve earned the right to be sedate and mundane. After all, it’s exhausting to be fabulous all the time. We have other tasks to achieve, like party planning and… well, being the chief executive of an entire state.

Jared Polis is the only out and proud sitting governor in the U.S. and he just made (more) history by marrying his partner, Marlon Reis.

But perhaps the most newsworthy aspect of the nuptials was just how normal they were. Two men agreed upon a lifelong contract to have and to hold and to grow old.

Total yawn-fest, right?

It’s refreshing to see a mature couple dedicated to keeping the spirit of everyday gay love alive. We’re here, we’re queer, we’re no big deal!

But Reis sees it through a slightly different lens.

“Over the course of Jared’s career in Congress, you know, we didn’t set out to be the first of anything. Things sort of happened that way.”

He gave the above quote to NPR, of all places. I mean, it doesn’t get any more boring than that.

“As I was growing up, marriage was not even in the realm of possibility,” Reis continues. “In fact, the reality was that there was a lot of misinformation out there about what could potentially happen if you came out — what opportunities would you lose, how it would negatively impact you. So for a long time, the idea of getting married, we didn’t talk about it.”

Perfectly reasonable and staid, right? Well, if you want excitement, simply go to the homophobic comments section of any given social media post. This one, for example:

The responses are abhorrent, proving that no matter how conventional we may be, bigots will always see us as deviants.

The LGBTQ+ community has enough turbulence in our lives. Maybe once, just once, we can enjoy a safe landing. Congratulations to Jared Polis and Marlon Reis. We will forever defend your right to be boring.

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Kevin Perry

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