Marriage means I’ve made it. Not like “my life is now complete,” but more like a sign that I’ve accomplished the impossible. That I really can make my dreams come true, as cliché as that sounds.

I’m in a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend (well, fiancee now 😝). Several years passed before we finally got to meet in person. Having been stuck for so long, unable to do anything or make any decisions for myself, it felt unreal. Ever since we met in person, I realised that this is the person I want to spend my life with… The problem is, she lives in a different country. How were we supposed to take the next step when we’re thousands of miles away from each other?

Well, the quickest way to a visa is through marriage. Considering the current political climate and that:

• It’s a queer relationship
• I’m transgender
• We’re young
• She’s not white
• She lives in a country most people haven’t even heard of

… I was pretty much expecting this to be near impossible. But somehow, despite literally everything being against us, my petition for the visa got approved on the first submission???

Point is, for me, marriage is a means to achieving something I genuinely thought would never happen.