Family Spotlight:
Steve and Bob
Steve Charing and Bob Ford of Clarksville, Md. have been together in a committed relationship since 1980. "Less than one-fifth of heterosexual couples are together that many years," said Steve, who makes that point when discussing the marriage issue with his elected officials. They both want to marry and experience the rights, benefits and responsibilities of heterosexual couples but see the Federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, as one of the principal impediments. "We can win this state-by-state," said Bob, "but without Federal recognition, marriage will not bring the same benefits."
Steve, who was originally from New York, is retired from the Social Security Administration, and Bob, who was born in Sioux City, Iowa, works as a systems technician for Verizon. They have been members of Equality Maryland for three years.
But Steve is anything but "retired." He is an avid writer and has been the longest tenured journalist in Baltimore gay's press -- nearly 27 years. Steve is the Senior Political Analyst for Baltimore OUTloud where he writes a regular column, "OUTspoken." He also maintains a blog with the same name that contains his articles, columns and published letters to the editor.
Here Steve uses his broad knowledge of GLBT issues to present clear arguments for or against a particular topic, and he pulls no punches. He also writes news stories and has reported on a variety of GLBT-oriented political developments in Annapolis as well as covering Equality Maryland's activities.
His partner, Bob, has a role in this process. "I keep him out of trouble," deadpans Bob, who proofreads everything Steve writes with an eye towards preventing a written misstep that would not meet the standards of political correctness.
When he's not filling up OUTloud's pages, Steve is the Media Coordinator for PFLAG-Columbia/Howard County. He is a member of the chapter's successful Steering and Advocacy committees and has been active in a variety of roles within the chapter. Bob, too, is active in the chapter as he assists with logistics at each monthly meeting and joins Steve at various community fairs and events while representing the chapter.
"We both want to give back to an organization who has been in the forefront of our battles for a long time," said Steve. "PFLAG is not only about parents, but it encompasses all GLBT people, their families and their friends. We love PFLAG! It is OUR family."
Both Bob and Steve also share a passion for antique bottles, and each has an impressive collection. They are members of the Towson-based Baltimore Antique Bottle Club-a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about antique bottle collecting and promoting it as a hobby. Bob has been the show chairman for the past 8 years. The show, held annually the first Sunday in March at CCBC-Essex, is the largest one-day bottle show in the world. Steve had served as club president for 5 years.
The couple also enjoys sports (they keep supporting losing teams), politics, reading, museums, dining out, attending theater, going to clubs and being with friends. Their favorite vacation spot is Provincetown, where they visit almost every summer.
Steve plays golf when he can, volunteers at Howard County General Hospital, works out and jogs regularly. They both are closely involved with GLBT issues and have been activists for more years than they care to discuss.
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