Every family is unique, but The Embley-Nielsons stands out from the rest. That is because the family of four has a queer dad who most comfortably identifies as gay, and his wife is totally okay with it. They share their family journey in finding their own happy ending on social media.
Matthew Nielson met Brynn, his wife, at the church, but at the time, she wasn't interested in him.
Brynn shared, "I had no interest in being a service project (I wasn’t *really* going to church at the time), and was equally uninterested in a “Peter priesthood” type."
However, she found out that Matthew isn't that bad of a man after actually conversing with him. He finally asked for her number and they went on their first date/hangout.
"He took me and another girl on dates in the same week - and it turns out I won that competition I hadn’t known I was in," Brynn shared.
It was when he felt like she was the right person did he finally tell her that he's actually gay. What was Brynn's reaction?
"When Nielson told me his sexual orientation, my only thought was something like 'okay,'" she recalled. "It never occurred to me to feel threatened."
She felt proud that despite what he said, Nielson asked her out and they ended up together. The mother-of-two is surprised whenever she hears people say he is unhappy or that she feels insecure because of his identity.
He is the best part of my life and I love all of him for who he is.
Their romance blossomed fast as they got married in just months after going steady.
The two set off for a honeymoon in Utah. But despite what sounded like a dream come true, the couple is always candid about their marriage life. It's full of ups and downs and they do get into arguments over trivial matters at times.
"We met, dated, broke up, dated again, and got married because (drumroll) we like and love each other," they revealed.
But the ups and downs don't just include the relationship between them. The couple reveals that there are friends who feel hurt about their mixed orientation.
Brynn shared, "Yesterday Matthew spoke with a friend who was hurt by our sharing. She thought we were saying 'it works for us, and it’ll work for you too!'”
But she quickly denied what she was trying to do, "That’s not our message. What we’re trying to say is 'here’s something about our relationship that we believe isn’t talked about enough.'”
She wishes to use her platform to share what works in some marriages, even though it's not for everyone.
When they talk about why they click, Brynn shared, “A mutual obsession with books and traveling can apparently do a lot for a relationship.”
“The most loving thing Matthew has ever told me is that he never gets tired of me, out of all the humans he has ever known — that kind of compatibility doesn’t happen every day,” she added.
Matthew also addressed the confusion that people have when he identifies as gay but still wants to sleep with a woman. He shared, "I generally feel most comfortable with identifying as gay because I think that is the best descriptor of my sexual attractions. But it’s still not a perfect fit because Brynn and I do enjoy sex together."
"Bisexual is tricky, too. I only realized a few years ago that being bisexual doesn’t mean equal attraction to men and women – it can mean like 90% men, 10% women, etc."
"I generally just say gay because it makes the most sense to me."
After being open about themselves, the couple shares that there are many others who share the same sentiment and even situation with them.
She quotes several DMs she's got. One wrote, “I’m also in a mixed-orientation marriage and we’re doing great.”
Another reads, “My husband/wife came out to me a few years ago - it was hard at first but we’re making it work!”
“It’s such a relief that someone else has the same problems,” wrote another.
They were each other's first choices, not because of the situation, but because they love each other!
