Content Warning: This episode discusses Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Conversion Therapy.
Kelly and Devin had a great “meet cute” story. They were counselors at a Christian summer camp, fell in love, spent all their time together, then kept it going long distance and finally got married. Kelly knew that Devin had undergone “conversion therapy” to try to change his attraction to men. But everyone, including Devin, believed those feelings were connected to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Their church also taught that homosexuality wasn’t real, so being gay didn’t seem possible. Four and a half years into their marriage, however, Devin came to understand the truth about his sexuality. Soon after, Kelly did too. Beard: A Memoir of a Marriage, winner of the 2026 Minnesota Book Award, tells the story of a marriage built on deeply shared beliefs that finally resulted in an unexpected truth. Kelly, who is now remarried with a 12-year-old daughter, reflects on her first marriage that was full of love and, in fact, sexually active. But eventually, it ended, lead by a chance bar encounter and smoking a whole pack of cigarettes in flip-flops during a Chicago winter.
