Michael McConnell and Jack Baker are America’s first legally married gay couple. They were married in Minneapolis in September 1971 in a small ceremony officiated by a Methodist minister, with an official license issued by a rural Minnesota county. They met in 1966 in Norman, Oklahoma. In 2010, Michael retired from the Hennepin County Library and Jack retired from his careers in law and engineering. They live in Minneapolis. ¿Gail Langer Karwoski is an author and educator based in Athens, Georgia. She met Michael McConnell and Jack Baker in 1972, the year after they were married. She is the author of many books for young readers, most recently When Hurricane Katrina Hit Home.