Queer Joy Interview #11: Jolie Smith
I met Jolie (She/Her) at her and her wife Karen's home on 1/13/25 in Tyler, TX to talk about LGBT+ culture, Gay Hollywood, and being the first LGBT+ couple married in Smith County.
“[Queer Joy] is about sharing your life with someone you love, and that’s it.
When you give people a chance and let them get to know you as a person- it's a lot harder for them to discriminate against you. So, I encourage all LGBT+ people to be who they are, but be good people first.
Karen and I both knew that the decision to legalize gay marriage could come down. We decided we wanted to get married in Texas, and I thought it would be cool to be the first. We were all ready to have it done that Friday, but when we went down to the courthouse, the clerk said that she couldn't give us the license, that she was waiting to hear from the state, and she said that she couldn't until she did. Karen and I said, “No, there are people doing it all over the state as we speak”. So, Karen called a judge that she knew, who was a constitutional lawyer, and he filed the case that afternoon. We were prepared to go either way the next Monday, and we went back down there and she issued the license. So then we went to a quick florist and called all our friends and went down and had the judge sign the waiver, and a dear man we knew and his wife agreed to marry us, and it happened that evening. I had my daughter present, and she had her godson and some friends and we made it happen.
The rights that we share now are due to a lot of brave people; each one of us, as we share our stories and share our gifts will help keep that going.”
- Jolie Smith (She/Her)
