(March 6) - It was 1951 when they fell in love. They've been together every since. And now, Bob Claunch and Jack Reavley are wondering whether they made a mistake by not getting married when they had the chance.
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The two met in the Army, where Reavley was Claunch's commanding officer, the Los Angeles Times reported. For years, they had to conceal their relationship for fear of being court-martialed. Eventually, both men received honorable discharges.
Today, Claunch, 83, and Reavley, 85, live together in Los Angeles. They are registered domestic partners in California. When same-sex marriage was legalized in California, they decided not to go for it.
"I know that we've been together a long time," Claunch told the Times, "but the idea of cementing this relationship seems unnecessary."
But now, they are starting to wonder: What happens to the survivor if one of them dies? Without a marriage license, they lack some fundamental rights.
But in November, California voters approved Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage. The state Supreme Court is considering the constitutionality of the measure.
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Gay Rights in the News
Suing the Feds: The first state to legalize gay marriage filed suit against the U.S. government July 8 over a federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. In a press conference, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said the federal Defense of Marriage Act interferes with the right of Massachusetts to define and regulate marriage.
Lisa Poole, AP
Lisa Poole, AP
Claunch and Reavley say that if they get another chance, they will get married -- although something in their background still makes them hesitate.
"I suppose it's because for so many, many, many years and centuries, men have not married men, and women have not married women," Claunch said. "We've been brought up not having anything like that, not wanting anything like that … We've always been given the impression that it was a horrible kind of situation, and it is not easy to cross over that line."
Get the full story at the LATimes.com.
And you can learn more about the couple’s long romance through filmmaker Stu Maddux’s 2006 documentary, ‘Bob and Jack’s 52-Year Adventure.’
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