Deena and Kim Bledsaw at home with their dogs, Bella and Precious.
One
afternoon in May, Kim Bledsaw was at a Port of Subs shop, buying a sandwich. Her phone signaled that she’d received a private message on Facebook. The message was from Deena Mc Devitt, an acquaintance she’d known for a few years and liked, but didn’t know very well. The message said something to the effect of, “Hey, I heard you’re going through some stuff. If you ever need somebody to talk to, give me a call.” Bledsaw had recently ended a relationship and was touched by the friendly gesture. “Coming out of a break-up, I figured it was a good time to start getting in touch with friends and becoming better friends,” says Bledsaw. “Instead of sitting there whining about losing my partner, I’m going to start hanging out with people.” Bledsaw rode her motorcycle home, and, before even digging into her sandwich, called Mc Devitt.
spouse n i d e l l o r n in Reno e e l p u o c x nal Guard e o i t a N r i A A same-s the Nevada h g u o r h t benefits
“This was at 4 o’clock in the afternoon,” says Bledsaw. “I didn’t eat my sandwich until almost 11. … But you know what? It was a conversation you didn’t want to stop.” They started talking, and before either one knew what had happened, hours had gone by. Two months later, Bledsaw and Mc Devitt drove over the hill to be married in Auburn, Calif., where same-sex marriage, per a then-recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, is now legal. As part of their marriage, Deena took Bledsaw’s last name. And now, Deena is one of the first Nevada spouses in a same-sex marriage to receive benefits from the U.S. military. Both Deena and her teenage daughter, Cheyenne, receive medical, dental and vision coverage from the Nevada Air National Guard, where Kim is a non-commissioned officer in Civil Engineer Squadron, based at the Reno Air National Guard Base attached to the RenoTahoe International Airport.
“ GUARD YOUR HEART”
by Brad Bynum
bradb@newsreview.com
continued on page 14
Photos by Allison Young OPINION
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OCTOBER 3, 2013
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