When Alexandra Morgan first met her future wife, Whitney, she had no idea she was even romantically interested in women. Now, after about four years together, they’re having their first child and are grateful for healthcare professionals who’ve made them feel safe and empowered while navigating toward parenthood.
The couple first met in January 2018. At the time, Whitney was assigned to be Alexandra’s instructor while working as emergency room nurses at the Tristar Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Within the first five minutes of talking, Alexandra felt an instant connection, like they’d known each other for years.
“My first thought was what would an insanely cool 31-year-old who is also beautiful, intelligent, and successful find in ME?” says Alexandra, who was 23 then. “I loved her energy, attitude, and intelligence and wanted to be around her as much as possible so that maybe just a little of what makes her so special would rub off on me.”
The two stayed strictly professional while Whitney was Alexandra’s instructor. But shortly after that role ended, they spent an entire night texting about their favorite things, dating histories, and future goals. Before long, they started dating, and about a year later, they proposed to one another.
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The couple then gained fame and a larger LGBTQ+ social media following by appearing on Marriage or Mortgage, a Netflix reality show where they chose a dream wedding instead of a dream home. They’re now using their platforms to make their workplace and the world more accepting.
It hasn’t always been easy, though, Alexandra says. Patients at the Salt Lake City specialty clinic where the women both now work sometimes ask about their husbands. The women sometimes feel rude or awkward correcting them. In public, they sometimes get stares and odd looks when they hold hands.
“It just took time to realize that different rules applied to us and our relationship,” Alexandra wrote. But, she adds, “we want to change the narrative just by being ourselves and exposing people to our simple and undeniable love for one another.”
They’ve fostered safe spaces at work and in their community and formed relationships with like-minded individuals through social media, online groups, or local advocates. When seeing patients, they wear rainbow pins stating “Be Brave” to convey that the clinic is a safe space for people from all different backgrounds.
On social media, they share pictures of their travels to Belize, New York City, Italy, Austria, and Croatia alongside images of them celebrating Nashville Pride, posts supporting transgender and non-binary people, and updates about the intricacies and challenges both women have faced throughout Alexandra’s pregnancy via in vitro fertilization.
Alexandra and Whitney both wanted to give birth to a child, so they underwent numerous ultrasounds, blood work, genetic testing, and medications in tandem to start the process. However, heartbreak struck when genetic testing revealed that Whitney’s egg cells weren’t viable. Nevertheless, the couple says they’ve felt supported by their reproductive healthcare providers throughout the process.
When announcing Alexandra’s intention to carry their child, the couple announced, “We made this decision after speaking with our fertility specialist and hearing their recommendations based on what our family goals were.”
“The IVF process can be long, complex, and isolating,” they wrote, “so having a resource dedicated to answering any and all of your questions is so incredibly reassuring.”
The couple says that the LGBTQ+ community is made up of individuals who are more apt to experience social health emergencies differently. As a part of that community, they understand the importance of feeling heard and believed in, and have tried to translate that into their profession.
“We may live in a traditional area, but we have the ability to facilitate a community that is reflective of our values and outlook on life,” Alexandra writes. Doing so not only helps change hearts and minds, the couple believes. It also makes the world a little less cold.
