Larry and Carlos' first meeting was love at first cruise. "Carlos cruised me from his car while I was in mine in North Hudson Park in North Bergen, New Jersey," Larry shares. "No public sex was involved, but we met, we talked and I took him home. We were together from that day on -- April 10, 1982.
"I always knew that I wanted to be with him forever but marriage wasn't an option anywhere back then," Larry continues. "Carlos wanted to wait till Florida had marriage equality but I figured I'd be dead by then."
April 10 this year marks 33 years together for Larry and Carlos. The pair was married on November 12, 2013, in Manhattan at the New York County Clerk's office.
Lawrence Alan Glinzman, 58, is a retired executive from the Jewish Federation organization in New York and South Florida and former Director of Communications at Community Legal Services of Mid Florida. He grew up in North Bergen before graduating with a B.A. in psychology from New Jersey City University and a master's in social work from Yeshiva University.
Carlos Patrick Murphy, 66, is a retired payroll clerk for a pharmaceutical company in Pearl River, N.Y. Carlos was born in the Bronx and grew up in Cresskill, N.J. The couple currently resides in Orlando.
Deciding to get married wasn't a tough decision for Larry and Carlos. "We went through two big medical emergencies -- Carlos in an induced coma in 1999 to 2000 from Christmas Day through February because of his severe asthma and in rehab for months afterwards --and me almost in hospice after being in the hospital for seven months in 2013," Larry says. "We realized that if either one of us died, all that we had worked for together would be taxed as an inheritance as if we were strangers and there was the possibility that someone in our families might fight the wills we had so carefully laid out."
Larry adds: "Once we knew I was going to live and get better, we decided that the minute I could travel we would go to the easiest state to get married in and where we were both born and could arrange our marriage license online -- New York."
The county clerk officiated the civil ceremony, which was attended by their closest friends and a few family members. "Because it was so last minute, we didn't have a wedding party at City Hall but did have four of Carlos's cousins from upstate New York and our BFF Vicki from NYC in attendance," Larry shares. "Two good friends from Orlando, Brian and Wade James-Richardson, came with us and they got legally married too. A cousin from NYC who owned a hotel in SoHo gave the four of us adjoining suites for the three days as a wedding present."
"The best part was the dignity and joy the staff at the [county clerk's office] had for us." Larry says. "We had been expecting civility, but they were more excited than us. We were relieved that we were both safe from abuse should something happen to one of us. It was something that we never thought could happen, never mind would happen."
