This black gay couple are fighting stereotypes about their race and sexuality
A gay black couple has opened up about how they fight back against stereotypes about their race and sexuality.
Dominic and Nick are a gay couple who have been together for over seven years and have known each other since they were teenagers.
The pair recently shared their heartwarming story on The Way We Met, an Instagram account which documents “real, beautiful love stories”.
The pair met during high school. They did not go to the same school but were nearby to each other and were friendly.
Nick explained: “Dominic and I met as teenagers. We went to different high schools but they were close in proximity, so we had a lot of mutual friends.
“High school was also the time period in which we both came out to our families, although at separate times and unknowingly of each other’s personal journeys.”
However, education drew them both to different parts of the country.
“After graduating high school, life took me and Dominic in different directions,” Nick explained. “He went on to attend UFC in Orlando while I went to college in Kentucky.”
The pair reconnected when Nick was in Orlando visiting a friend and Dominic asked to meet and have dinner. The two hit it off, and they have been together ever since.
However, they were still long distance for a number seven years before finally being reunited and living with each other in Brooklyn and getting engaged.
“That night we talked for 4 hours and shut down the restaurant. Shortly after, Dominic asked if we could make it official and so our long distance relationship began. But the distance wouldn’t be ending anytime soon. After college, I moved to New York for work and Dominic moved to D.C. to go to law school at Georgetown University.
“Finally, after 7 years of the back and forth, we are finally living together in Brooklyn… and engaged! Dominic and I feel lucky to have found love at such a young age,” Nick added.
They said: “Falling in love with another black man was scary in ways neither of us could have ever imagined,” Nick said. “It forced us to face the very real resistance from society for being not only homosexuals but black men as well.
“We had to confront the stereotypes of being largely defined as uneducated, disloyal, untrustworthy, and unreliable individuals. But together we chose to rise above those prejudices and rewrite our own story- one of inspiration.”
The pair explained that they want others to see that their partnership “is marked by achievement, love, friendship, respect, and unconditional support.”
“We hope to encourage other black and brown men and boys everywhere to be true to who they are. And when they find love in each other’s eyes, to know that their love is just as strong and beautiful as anyone else’s.”
