America’s Most Captivating Couples 2007
Daria “Deno” Orechwa
27, Graduate Student/Youth Services Counselor
Ingrid “Inno” Dahl
26, Rock Musician/Editor/GO Writer/Founding Member of the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls
San Francisco, CA & Jersey City, NJ
Deno and Inno met at Rutgers University in (year). Today, Deno is a graduate student at San Francisco State, and assists queer teens at the Huckleberry House shelter. Her goal is to open a queer community center someday with its own thrift store. At the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, Inno also works with teens—managing their bands and teaching them to play different instruments. In addition, she’s a writer for GO and plays in the groups Boyskout, The 303s, and Lismore. This couple, who say they “like to make out and lay on each other everywhere we go,” are currently in a long-distance relationship. What keeps it on track? “Teamwork; consideration; independence; admiration; text messages; imaginary scenarios; missing one another; extreme cuteness; generosity; and phenomenal sex.”
It was difficult to narrow down the entries, but we finally did it–and the result is the year’s most captivating couples! Ranging from a historic preservationist to a superhero to a TV talk show host (times two), it’s great to see so many proud women, not just in love, but spreading that love around and making the world a brighter place. Their stories inspired us, and we know they’ll inspire you, too. Say hello to this year’s sweethearts.
ERIN & ERICA
Erin Drinkwater
27, Liaison to Congressman Jerry Nadler
Erica Gaeta
25, New York City Teaching Fellow
Brooklyn, NY
The seeds to Erin and Erica’s relationship were planted when they both attended a New Jersey YMCA camp in 1995. In November 2006, Erica found Erin via Friendster and sent her an email. Erin says that the reconnection felt familiar, as though they never stopped being in contact. As adults, they share a common devotion to both their work and education: Erin represents Congressman Nadler on issues concerning lower Manhattan and the LGBT population, and spends her evenings finishing her masters in urban policy analysis. Erica teaches English to high school special education students, and is also completing her masters in special education. How do they manage? “Our energy keeps us going”, they say. “We work long hours and top it off with expanding our minds. Neither of us wants to stop learning.”
