America’s Most Captivating Couples 2008
Newton, Massachusetts
Jennifer Chrisler, 37, Executive Director, Family Equality Council
Cheryl Jaques, 45, Lawyer, Brody, Hardoon, Perkins & Kesten
Jennifer and Cheryl met almost 15 years ago when Jennifer got involved in Cheryl’s campaign for state senate. They were friends for five years before they started dating. As the Executive Director of the Family Equality Council (formerly Family Pride), Jennifer fights for the rights of all loving families, regardless of blood relation or sexual orientation. In addition to being a lawyer, Cheryl is the former head of the Human Rights Campaign. They are the proud parents of two sons, Tom and Tim, age five. “We love spending time with our kids, playing checkers, go fish and Connect Four. For gown-up fun, we love going to estate sales to find treasures, and taking long walks together,” says Jennifer. Their secret: “We try to remember to attack our problems instead of each other. Whenever we face adversity in our lives, we remain focused on what we are trying to solve instead of getting angry with each other about the situation we’re in. It also helps to have a good sense of humor, and to laugh together often.”
The results are in! After a grueling selection process, we’ve skimmed the sweet cream off this year’s batch of entries and whipped it into GO’s most captivating couples of 2008. Many more couples coming soon!
Teresa & LaQuette
Bronx, New York
Teresa Perry, 24, Accountant
LaQuette Lucas, 30, Events Planner
It was a cold winter night in January, 2007 when Teresa and LaQuette crossed paths at LoverGirl’s long-running Saturday night bash. The party was over by the time they finally met, but they exchanged numbers before leaving. “I took her out for dinner,” says LaQuette, “and that was the beginning of our journey!” These days, LaQuette is busy building an event marketing agency for the LGBT community, while Teresa enjoys being a mom, and plans to open her own clothing boutique. What makes their relationship work? Each lets the other be exactly who she is. “She’s loud at times, and I know how to get under a person’s skin,” LaQuette admits, “but that’s what makes us…us!”
