Lisa Watson & Peter Shanky
gay and gay-friendly businesses). It was the
first time I had gone to a business meeting that
I enjoyed.
Tracy Fenske: We just have a lot of close family
and friends. It’s just the right thing to do. It’s kind
of weird to be interviewed for something that’s just
part of our lives.
Mark Fenske: I always joke that we’ve been
married for eleven years, have no kids, love to
travel and enjoy good wine. Who do you think our
friends are?
Lisa and Peter (in unison): That sounds really famil-
iar.
Mark: I’m convinced we’re the gay couple from Mod-
ern Family. It’s your task to figure out who is who.
Tracy: He would be the one who went to clown
college.
On mistaken identity, alternative
sexuality, lesbros and more.
Lisa: Peter has a twin brother who is gay. We had more than a few
people that couldn’t figure out the relationship because they would see
Dustin out with his partner and Peter out with me and didn’t know they
were two different men. What was eye opening to me was that there were
so many people in the gay community that wanted to figure us out or
label our sexuality. What if there were three of us all together? So what?
Tracy: I’ve had straight girlfriends tell me I need to watch Mark because
he is on the down low and having affairs at networking events. But all of
our gay friends love me more than him so I’m fine. And these are people
that have known us for years.
Tracy: …you’ll have groupies.
Chris: You will. I’ve got groupies.
Mark: Trying not to picture that.
On the first gay person that they met.
Peter Shanky: As I have a close family member
that’s gay I’ve been involved as long as I can
remember. As a business owner it’s grown.
Lisa: I was in drama club in high school but it
was also Catholic school so none of them came
out until much later.
Mark: I’ve had a good friend since kindergarten.
It may be cliché but I had GI Joes and he had Bar-
bie dolls. Didn’t make him any less my friend.
Tracy: I grew up in a town of 300 where we all
knew each other and had last names that ended
in “ski.” So I didn’t meet anyone until we moved
to the “big city” of 30,000. I had out friends in
high school. I was about 200 lbs at the time so
they were bullied because they were gay and I
was bullied because of that. We bonded over it.
Chris: I’ve got a few years on you but I did know some in high school,
although to be called queer was the worst thing imaginable then. When
I became a merchant seaman in the Navy, that’s when I ran into real gay
people. Everything was cool and I was only about 18. When I got back to
New York we had that Christopher Street thing. It was a turning point.
Monica Reed: My best friend in Jr. High was gay. He passed away from
AIDS when he was 35. And I’ve worked with kids my whole career so I
see the bullying and put downs that go on.
On the most important issues facing the gay community.
Chris: Oh and I’m a lesbro. Let’s not forget that.
Tracy: [Mark’s] a lesbro too.
Chris: Safety. The issue that bothers me the most is what is happening to
young people, the suicides, the risks. Children are our responsibility. I
don’t care of they are not my biological kids.
Chris: Oh yeah, but not to my level.
Mark: You’ve got a few years on me. When I’m your age…
January 2013
As a human being on this planet we have a responsibility to keep our
children safe. All our children.
JustOut.com
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