Philly’s Happiest Gay Couples

Seven same-sex Philly couples reveal how they met, what they love about each other and how they make it work.
Text Size: A | A | A
By Natalie Hope McDonald

Sarah Morris (28) + Hanako Franz (26)

Sarah Morris (28) and Hanako Franz (26), a same-sex Philadelphia couple that has been together for three years.

Franz is a ninth-grade history teacher who works with her school’s Gay-Straight Alliance; Morris, a paralegal with the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project specializing in prison rights, is involved with the Youth Art and Self-Empowerment Project, which supports young people who are incarcerated, and Decarcerate PA, a group challenging the expansion of the prison system in the state; she also works with young people who have been tried as adults. They’ve been together for three years.

S: “We met on the dance floor at Bubble House. I was with some friends and saw Hanako and was super-shy. My friends pushed me across the dance floor.”

H: “We didn’t do the typical lesbian U-Haul move-in. I’m finally going to move in this August.”

S: “It’s built a much stronger relationship. We’re also talking about getting a dog.”

H: “We had a typical first date. Dinner in Chinatown, then we went and had drinks at Sugar Mom’s. We drank PBRs and had lollipops.”

S: “We definitely enjoy the Stimulus and Arouse scene, but we’re like old people. We like to garden and go to the movies sometimes.”

H: “I would say that Sarah is my perfect complement. She’s sweet and thoughtful, and something I really appreciate about her is that she challenges me. She doesn’t just let me win. She’s extremely passionate and hard-working and brilliant. And she’s super-sarcastic.”

S: “She’s the greatest. And she’s really supportive of everything I do. She’s also really serious about making change and supporting young people, but she can be incredibly goofy. I tend to be overly serious, and she’s good at loosening me up.”

 
 

  • Jon T.

    I saw this in the print edition, and I had high hopes for it. Sadly, it’s really a fluff piece that really doesn’t do more than scratch the surface of what really makes relationships work. The piece is mostly young-ish couples, with relatively short relationships (the longest relationship is 12 years). Sad that this article has no age 50+ couples who have been together 20+ years (like us). We have interesting things to say about this.

  • Paul B.

    cutest couple ever! love them…

  • http://chrissmari.org chrissmari

    You know, there are older and ugly gay couples that are just as happy, doing fantastic things in Philadelphia, too. Just sayin.

  • Mark from Mount Airy

    To sum up, all of the happiest gay couples in Philadelphia are childless. I guess it’s the busiest gay couples in Philadelphia that aren’t. :)

  • http://yo Yo

    Just to throw this out there…that SJU contest was for couples that were already married. The couple in question was engaged. The school was not showing any bias, it simply was following the rules that it held all couples too (straight or gay).

    Some people need a “jump to conclusions” mat.

  • Jen

    Adorable couples! However, where are the transpeople? My partner and I have been together for five and half years and I have to say we’re pretty stinkin cute! I know many couples just like us who are going through the transition or who have transitioned along with their partners. Please think more inclusively as we are also a part of this community and I’d love for folks to see that transpeople can be and are being loved just as strongly as our gay brothers and sisters.

  • http://www.nsfwparty.com Paul Blore

    Hello, world! Just want y’all to know the next NSFW party will actually be Thurs, June 28th (the change came after the summer G Philly issue went to print). http://www.nsfwparty.com.

    Thanks for the love!