Reaching Out to Gay Couples Across the Globe 6/22/11

Oak Park resident Delena Wilkerson, moved by her gay marriage in California, started an online magazine called 10,000 Couples which helps same sex couples reach out to others to share experiences and give advice.
J. GEIL/Photo Editor

By Marty Stempniak, Staff Reporter Oak Park Wednesday Journal  June 22, 2011

While visiting California, getting married was just supposed to be a spur-of-the-moment thing for gay Oak Parker Delena Wilkerson. She didn't think it would be a big deal but was surprised by the power of saying the words, "I do."

It so moved her, she started a free online magazine called 10,000 Couples, geared toward gay relationships, to provide resources and share the marriage experience with others. The site has gradually built a following since it started two years ago — with about 4,000 visitors last month from more than 100 different countries.

Wilkerson's goal, as the name states, is to eventually have 10,000 different gay couples from around the world on display in the site's gallery (right now, there's about 300). There is not a wealth of resources out there for same-sex couples, she said, and she wants to at least give them a virtual shoulder to rest their head on when they're feeling alone.

"In places like Singapore and these other countries where we are attracting people, they are able to see themselves and see that not only are they not alone, but they are not this horrible image that people who are not supportive promote," she said.

Wilkerson, a 56-year-old retiree who formerly worked for a nonprofit, started 10thousandcouples.com in 2009. She first studied other publications, such as Oprah's magazine, wedding periodicals and other sites geared toward straight couples.

Then came the "drama" of finding content to publish onsite. After scouring the Web and her networks, Wilkerson came up with 16 different contributors, gay and straight, from several countries. They write about everything from gay-friendly vacation destinations to Star Trek's George Takei.

The site isn't costing a ton to run — less than $1,000 a month, which is subsidized by Wilkerson's lawyer spouse, Sally Olson — but it is in the red. The hope is that it will eventually pay for itself.

"We have talked about trying to get it to be a self-sustaining enterprise," Olson, 57, said. "We're hoping it will be, but she's doing it more because of the cause than the money. It's never going to make money in the sense of supporting her or me."

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