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!
Erin & Dana
Chicago, Illinois
Erin Baker, 29, Personal Trainer
Dana Lloyd, 34, Makeup Artist/Hair Stylist
Co-owners of Social Flare
“It was the end of the Gay Games 2006 in Chicago, Illinois when I met the love of my life,” says Dana, who had flown in from San Francisco to go-go dance for Club Skirts and PlanetOut at the Victory Party. “I was heading out to do my first set when I caught Erin’s eye. When I looked at her, I was completely dazzled.” The next night, another chance encounter at the House of Blues led to a passionate romance, but the couple lived 2000 miles apart. They took turns visiting every other month until Dana moved to Chicago to be with Erin. Together, they run Social Flare, a promotional company for women’s events that benefit various LGBT-associated charities. “We’re giving women here another place to meet each other and hopefully find the kind of love that Erin and I have been so fortunate to discover.”
