Will Sowers, 23 (pictured at right) Residence:
Charlottesville, Va. Relationship status:
partnered, with Jake Smith
On the night of
June 11, 2005, both of us logged on to Manhunt.net to
check out the local scene. Neither of us knew exactly what
we were looking for that night--maybe a date,
maybe a friend, maybe a hookup. I was a police officer
who was out to only a few friends and had just started
dating after a short relationship. Jake was a closeted cadet
in Air Force ROTC and had recently been in a short
relationship with another guy.
Jake sent me a
message, but only after I had stepped away from the
computer. When I came back a couple of hours later and found
the message, I instantly e-mailed him back with my
screen name. (Jake had posted a hot shirtless photo.)
Soon after, I received an instant message from him,
beginning a five-hour conversation that lasted almost until
sunrise. The next day Jake and I met up for lunch and
then went on a hike.
We recently
celebrated our one-year anniversary. Jake opted to leave the
Air Force because of its discriminatory policies; we did not
want to have to hide our relationship. I still work
for the police department, and Jake works for a
medical products firm. Jake and I have moved in
together, have gotten a dog, and hope to get married. We are
out to everyone and hope to work together this fall to
defeat Virginia's bigoted marriage amendment.
We both comment
constantly on the irony that we met on Manhunt, a site
known for hookups and sex rather than committed
relationships. But without Manhunt, neither Jake nor I
would have found the happiness that we know today.