A Lifelong Couple Denied the Right to Marry

From Full Marriage Equality:

[...] I'm still a teenager. [FYI, this interview's from 2011, so he should be in college now.] I've lived in [a southern US state] as far back as I can remember. I do well in school, am largely involved in my Church, and I've always placed my family and friends first.

[...] [My sister is] my twin. Even though that makes us fraternal, we still look alike, except she has a more feminine figure. [...] Before I found out I was in love with her, she was my best friend. My parents seemed to not care whatsoever about how close we were, as they never seemed to see anything wrong with us never separating unless it was absolutely necessary, or the hand-holding, or even the sleeping in the same bed. In fact, they rarely paid us any attention at all. That's probably why they didn't know that she would kiss my lips every night before bed. I didn't know there was anything wrong with that, but it never came up either, so they never found out. I guess that even though our relationship is more true and more developed, it was easier when all I cared about was being at her side. It was a childhood I wouldn't trade for anything. We grew up together and we are currently living together with my older brother, older sister, mother, and father.

[...] I couldn't say when I first fell in love with her, but I first realized I was in love with her when I found out exactly what making out meant (this was after we started doing that every other night). I didn't know exactly what to make of it, but that night she started to make out with me and I didn't stop her. I didn't feel bad or the slightest bit of remorse. In fact, this was the first time she ever turned me on. I suddenly looked at her in an entirely new light. It was like a flash-flood in my mind. I started to realize how much I loved every bit of her. I wasn't surprised by these feelings, but I was surprised by their extent; how much I loved her.

[...] We are monogamous, but she recently asked me to start trying to find a "girlfriend" as a cover-up. I was reluctant and tried to insist that I wanted only her, but she made the point that if we were caught we could never be together. She was right, and I got one, but she broke up with me shortly afterwards for refusing to kiss her. It helped for a while though, I think.

[...] My older brother found out about us, actually. [...] He noticed it when my sis started finding more things for us to do together, but when she got us matching yin-yang jackets with reverse color scheme and we started wearing them all the time, he really started to think we were getting too close. I guess he was spying on us and caught us one night having sex. At first he didn't know what to do. He didn't speak to us for a couple days, and he suggested we "get help" when he finally did. We argued for a while, then he took another day to think. He was a good big bro in the end and said we should do 'whatever you believe is right in your heart of hearts'. [...] I think he's ultimately interested in our happiness, but as far as our relationship goes, I'm not sure exactly what he thinks.

[...] The love-making side of the relationship to me feels the most natural part. There really is no other way to truly express our love for each other. While sex as a whole is normally seen as dirty and incest is taboo, no feeling is as pure [...]. It's not easy to describe, but I'm overwhelmed by some unique feeling of unison, as if we were the same person. My thoughts are normally difficult to understand when it's happening, and I feel an uncontrollable sense of joy when it's happening. Since it's so unique there's not much to compare it to, which makes it even harder to describe. I guess the closest word that comes to mind is ecstasy.

[...] We've been talking about moving somewhere together and having her use a fake last name until we're married when then, ironically, it will change back.

[...] The way I ultimately decided to be with her was when a girl told me about her twin, Jesse, who had committed suicide when their relationship was discovered and they were forced to separate. I realized how similar she sounded and knew one thing for certain. Nothing should stop true love. People are born into families not of their own will, and just because someone was born with them shouldn't mean they can't love each other.

[...] I want [people] to open their eyes and mind. If they would just for a moment think logically, they would see my side. I have asked people what's wrong with our relationship, but all they say is that it's wrong or disgusting without giving any reasons. Something they seem to forget is that stopping true love is also morally wrong. I believe they're the kind of people that people in the future will look back on the same way they look at people who were against interracial marriage.

[...] We used to talk about marriage when we were kids, before we knew of any problems that might create. Now we know it's illegal and we still want to. I would love nothing more than to marry her.

[...] We met [a similar couple] online, but then found out they were in the area. We met in a park, and even used a code phrase before really talking. They're not twins, but their relationship is similar to ours. I love to talk with them. It's always nice to know you're not the only one. I already knew that, of course, but it's more tangible in person.

[...] I've found this to be the best thing that ever happened to me. The only thing that could make it better is the promise of marriage.