After enough years in the Philly Queer community, one recognizes that we are all only separated by one or two degrees. Mariah and Stephanie knew of each other for many years. They had been at many community events together. They had even shared the same dance floor on multiple occasions. But just like so many queer love stories, it was not until they volunteered as organizers for the Philly Dyke March together when their story truly began. Mariah was the lead organizer the year that Stephanie finally joined the committee. Stephanie immediately crushed hard on Mariah but Mariah was oblivious. Over time, Mariah caught on. In August 2017, Mariah and Stephanie danced together upstairs at the original Tabu with its brick walls and buckets of Ms. Ty's intoxicating fruity concoction. But this time, the closeness on the dance floor was intentional. And on that night, Mariah and Stephanie shared their first kiss, between two dumpsters, in the alley outside Tabu that always felt safer to many Philly queers than any straight bar on a Saturday night. Because no queer love story is complete without complications, it wasn't until November 2017 when Mariah and Stephanie had their first date. One had been scheduled earlier, but Mariah got nervous and cancelled it. Finally, Stephanie's charm won out, Mariah got over being intimidated by Stephanie, and they began falling in love at a time when neither were expecting it. Like so many who settled for less than they deserved in the past, building a partnership has come with its highs and lows, and both Mariah and Stephanie have learned so much about themselves over the past two plus years. Through long distance and many personal journeys, their commitment has only grown stronger. On the first day of Pride Month 2019, Mariah asked Stephanie to marry her and Stephanie said, "Yes!" before Mariah could even get the words out. Mariah and Stephanie cannot wait to celebrate their #trashlovestory with their friends and family this year.