As a child, Jim was terrified that his father, a Marine Corps drill sergeant, and his mother would discover his true feelings. Now that his sexuality in no longer a secret, he says his family has been very open and accepting. When his parents and sister met Mark at a diner, "they just loved him," Jim says.

Jim says that his two daughters have also embraced his new lifestyle and life partner. He described how recently his 13-year-old daughter, his ex-wife Kari and his ex-mother-in-law spent a week at his home. "We had pancakes. We went to church. We went shopping. It was a family," Jim says. "[My daughter] accepts me."

Jim's younger daughter is only 4 years old, but he says she has already grown to love Mark. Dina, her mother and Jim's second wife, who has decided not to speak publicly about their marriage, is still "in transition," he says.