Macey and Christina met while working with children with autism. Macey wasn’t quite yet “out” but her chemistry with Christina was undeniable. They struggled for such a long time with gossips at work. People trying to define what they were before they were ready. Questioning their love, which was especially hard on Macey. The couple has been together for two years but it wasn’t until just a few months ago that Macey and Christina finally went public with their relationship.
Tell us a little about your favorite memories together.
There are so many it’s hard to choose! We are big LSU fans, so we got to go to New Orleans last year and watch the national championship game! We also love Disney and have annual passes and shared our first “I love you” on the teacups with the fireworks in the background, and it was extraordinary, and now we have a picture of the teacups hanging in our home.
Talk to us about coming out.
Christina has been out since she was 18. Coming out for her was hard, and she dealt with and continues to deal with unaccepting family. Macey was still in the closet when we started dating, so she had to come out. It was challenging, and we’ve been lucky that most people are very accepting. But she’s also had to deal with some unaccepting family. They’re working their way around slowly, but for a while, it was hard. We had to start new traditions together, like Thanksgiving, instead of with family, which ended up being super special.
Tell us your favorite thing about one another.
Macey’s favorite thing about Christina is her motivation and perseverance. She’s been dealt a tough deck of cards from time to time. But she continued to keep reaching for her goals and never takes no for an answer! All the while, she could be dealing with something challenging, and you would never even know it. She always has a smile on her face and is cracking jokes. Still looking at the bright side and remaining positive even when most people wouldn’t be able to.
Christina’s favorite thing about Macey is her willingness to help others and be kind. One of the first reasons I started growing fond of her is when I was having car problems. We weren’t really close at this point, but she kept saying, “we will figure it out,” and looking back, that is just proof of how selfless she is.
What do you hope the future has in store for you both?
Macey is currently completing her master’s at Rollins College here in Orlando. Once that is finished, we’re hoping to move somewhere out of Florida with more scenery. We both love the mountains and seasons, so we want to head north. We want a huge backyard to have more dogs on top of the two we have already, Charlie, a Goldendoodle, and Ellie, an Australian Shepard. Taking it one day at a time and enjoying every moment we have together instead of focusing on the future too much.
Do you have any advice for others struggling in their sexuality or relationships?
Love who you love and realize it’s never too late to come out and be who you want to be and with whoever you want to be with! Life is way too short not to live your best authentic self every day! If you’re struggling, just always know that you aren’t alone, and there’s a brighter day out there.
Macey battled a long time with coming out, knowing it would not go over easy with her family but read the book Untamed by Glennon Doyle. There was a quote in the book saying, would you rather live “uncomfortable truth or comfortable lies.” And it moved her to realize that life was too short.
Being unapologetically yourself every day is such a happy feeling. You should never feel wrong for loving whoever you want to love!
Photography by Crystal Photography
