Blackened skin circles her brown eyes and blood runs from her ears. Long curls of deep brown hair fall across her shirt that reads “Public Option” and the blood-covered surgical mask over her mouth says “H1N1 Prevention.” A giant deli-style ticket in her slender hand says “Welcome to American Health Care” and lists her as the 48,980,000th uninsured American. Her name is Shaun Michelle Kennedy and she is not dying. But her Halloween costume this year symbolizes the enormous disparity in American health care coverage and the continued lack of government support for universal health care.
“I don’t care if you’re fucking royalty. We’re all human beings, that’s the way it is,” Kennedy says, sitting next to her partner, Saranique Nicole Schwartz, in the living room of their home in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood.
Kennedy, Schwartz and Kennedy’s husband of eight years, David E. Martinez, live in a polyamorous relationship. Their three-person partnership resembles a traditional marriage in every sense except one: it is not legally recognized. Kennedy, Schwartz and Martinez, an independent validation consultant for pharmaceutical and medical device implant companies, currently working in New Delhi, India, have cohabitated since 2006.
Born in Santa Monica, Calif. in 1978, driving away from her birthplace at 18 months old is Kennedy's earliest vivid memory. Her family relocated to Hollywood Riviera, a beachfront neighborhood in Torrance, where Kennedy lived until she enrolled at University of California, Berkeley to study history in 1996. That’s where she met Martinez.
“Toward the middle-end of our freshman year, Shaun and I became inseparable.” Martinez says, “To this day, I feel very fortunate to have such a strong and wonderful woman as my partner.”
An El Salvador native, Martinez met Kennedy during the first few days of their freshman year. Long hours of studying, hanging out in their dormitory and participating in the many freshman icebreaker activities drew the pair closer and closer. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island, Kennedy and Martinez exchanged vows in July 2001 in Palos Verdes, Calif.
“Not that I’m biased,” Kennedy jokes, “but it was the most beautiful wedding I’ve ever been to.”
Celebrating their unique and incredible love was just one of the many reasons the pair decided to wed; Kennedy also knew that marrying Martinez would allow him to remain in the states even though he is not an American citizen. However, the institution of marriage leaves a bad taste in her mouth because legally, the love shared between Kennedy and her two partners isn’t recognized. American law only acknowledges the union between Kennedy and Martinez, but in their eyes, Schwartz exists as an equal in their relationship.
“If David and I could make it legal and give Saranique more rights, we would,” Kennedy says, her hands rigid in front of her face, “but we can’t.”
“Saranique has been a wonderful addition to our lives,” Martinez says. “The three of us have shared so much, and once again, I have to say I extremely feel fortunate to have met a person like Shaun who is not only comfortable with herself, but at the same time very secure of our relationship.”
Kennedy and Martinez have to re-write their living wills to give Schwartz control in the event of an emergency and they don’t receive benefits, such as tax breaks, that other legally recognized partners do. Even though marriage is a bittersweet concept, Kennedy doesn’t denounce the ceremonial aspect to it.
“A big party to celebrate love? Everyone should do that,” Kennedy says, “And we should do it more often.”
At UC Berkeley, Kennedy immersed herself in learning and earned two Bachelor’s degrees in four years. Always a lover of studying the past, Kennedy earned one degree in History. She obtained her second degree, in Women’s Studies, for other reasons.
“I took it because I could not stand anymore white penises for a while,” Kennedy says of the mostly male professors she had before enrolling in Women’s Studies courses, “I wanted some tits and ass, please!”
After graduating from UC Berkeley, Kennedy got her teaching credential from California State University, Hayward. She immediately began teaching at Albany Ocean View Elementary school, running an after school program at Albany Kid’s Corner and organizing social nights for local teens. At 27, overwhelmed by 100-hour work weeks and the tightening restrictions of a publicly funded school district, Kennedy sought more positive surroundings.
“I’m a fighter,” Kennedy says, “I already have cynical tendencies, I don’t need anything to make me more like that.”
Kennedy found the positive change she needed doing canine training, rehabilitation and general care. In 2006, while working at Every Dog has its Day Care, a specialized canine day care facility in Emeryville, she met and fell in love with Schwartz. Charlie Bennett, a former Every Dog employee and a close friend to the three partners, first interacted with Kennedy during a Christmas gift exchange at work.
“She didn’t draw me out of the hat for ‘Secret Santa,’ but she made me a gift anyway,” Bennett recalls as she pantomimes the shape of a star and smiles widely, “She wrote me a cute note about my improvement at work and made me a wire star Christmas ornament, I still have it.”
A fluffy pink, purple and green tutu hangs from a nail in a doorway of the home Kennedy shares with her partners. To the right of the front door, dog leashes of every length, color and material hang from a different nail, waiting for the next walk. Besides the three human inhabitants, on any given day 14 dogs click-clack across the wooden floors of the two-bedroom, one-bathroom house. Zeus, Jacob, Kahlo and Rex are permanent residents; the other dogs belong to clients of Walk On Pup, a full-service dog care company Kennedy and Schwartz established January 1.
For almost a year, Kennedy and Schwartz have walked their growing pack 12 miles per day, five to seven days per week. Beyond exercise, Walk On Pup trains, grooms, boards overnight and shuttles to veterinary appointments. In the future, Kennedy hopes to return to early childhood education, but her dream would be to provide canine therapy to kids.
While Kennedy and her partners have no immediate plans for children, she concedes that maybe one day she and Schwartz could both be mommies. She says the three of them have discussed harvesting Kennedy’s eggs so Schwartz could carry their future children. But, like most discussions of future plans, their relationship’s complicated legal status becomes the ultimate focus and unfortunate roadblock to decision-making.
“We’re Puritanical bastards in this country,” Kennedy says. “Personal life restrictions is what we legislate.”
“I don’t care if you’re fucking royalty. We’re all human beings, that’s the way it is,” Kennedy says, sitting next to her partner, Saranique Nicole Schwartz, in the living room of their home in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood.
Kennedy, Schwartz and Kennedy’s husband of eight years, David E. Martinez, live in a polyamorous relationship. Their three-person partnership resembles a traditional marriage in every sense except one: it is not legally recognized. Kennedy, Schwartz and Martinez, an independent validation consultant for pharmaceutical and medical device implant companies, currently working in New Delhi, India, have cohabitated since 2006.
Born in Santa Monica, Calif. in 1978, driving away from her birthplace at 18 months old is Kennedy's earliest vivid memory. Her family relocated to Hollywood Riviera, a beachfront neighborhood in Torrance, where Kennedy lived until she enrolled at University of California, Berkeley to study history in 1996. That’s where she met Martinez.
“Toward the middle-end of our freshman year, Shaun and I became inseparable.” Martinez says, “To this day, I feel very fortunate to have such a strong and wonderful woman as my partner.”
An El Salvador native, Martinez met Kennedy during the first few days of their freshman year. Long hours of studying, hanging out in their dormitory and participating in the many freshman icebreaker activities drew the pair closer and closer. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island, Kennedy and Martinez exchanged vows in July 2001 in Palos Verdes, Calif.
“Not that I’m biased,” Kennedy jokes, “but it was the most beautiful wedding I’ve ever been to.”
Celebrating their unique and incredible love was just one of the many reasons the pair decided to wed; Kennedy also knew that marrying Martinez would allow him to remain in the states even though he is not an American citizen. However, the institution of marriage leaves a bad taste in her mouth because legally, the love shared between Kennedy and her two partners isn’t recognized. American law only acknowledges the union between Kennedy and Martinez, but in their eyes, Schwartz exists as an equal in their relationship.
“If David and I could make it legal and give Saranique more rights, we would,” Kennedy says, her hands rigid in front of her face, “but we can’t.”
“Saranique has been a wonderful addition to our lives,” Martinez says. “The three of us have shared so much, and once again, I have to say I extremely feel fortunate to have met a person like Shaun who is not only comfortable with herself, but at the same time very secure of our relationship.”
Kennedy and Martinez have to re-write their living wills to give Schwartz control in the event of an emergency and they don’t receive benefits, such as tax breaks, that other legally recognized partners do. Even though marriage is a bittersweet concept, Kennedy doesn’t denounce the ceremonial aspect to it.
“A big party to celebrate love? Everyone should do that,” Kennedy says, “And we should do it more often.”
At UC Berkeley, Kennedy immersed herself in learning and earned two Bachelor’s degrees in four years. Always a lover of studying the past, Kennedy earned one degree in History. She obtained her second degree, in Women’s Studies, for other reasons.
“I took it because I could not stand anymore white penises for a while,” Kennedy says of the mostly male professors she had before enrolling in Women’s Studies courses, “I wanted some tits and ass, please!”
After graduating from UC Berkeley, Kennedy got her teaching credential from California State University, Hayward. She immediately began teaching at Albany Ocean View Elementary school, running an after school program at Albany Kid’s Corner and organizing social nights for local teens. At 27, overwhelmed by 100-hour work weeks and the tightening restrictions of a publicly funded school district, Kennedy sought more positive surroundings.
“I’m a fighter,” Kennedy says, “I already have cynical tendencies, I don’t need anything to make me more like that.”
Kennedy found the positive change she needed doing canine training, rehabilitation and general care. In 2006, while working at Every Dog has its Day Care, a specialized canine day care facility in Emeryville, she met and fell in love with Schwartz. Charlie Bennett, a former Every Dog employee and a close friend to the three partners, first interacted with Kennedy during a Christmas gift exchange at work.
“She didn’t draw me out of the hat for ‘Secret Santa,’ but she made me a gift anyway,” Bennett recalls as she pantomimes the shape of a star and smiles widely, “She wrote me a cute note about my improvement at work and made me a wire star Christmas ornament, I still have it.”
A fluffy pink, purple and green tutu hangs from a nail in a doorway of the home Kennedy shares with her partners. To the right of the front door, dog leashes of every length, color and material hang from a different nail, waiting for the next walk. Besides the three human inhabitants, on any given day 14 dogs click-clack across the wooden floors of the two-bedroom, one-bathroom house. Zeus, Jacob, Kahlo and Rex are permanent residents; the other dogs belong to clients of Walk On Pup, a full-service dog care company Kennedy and Schwartz established January 1.
For almost a year, Kennedy and Schwartz have walked their growing pack 12 miles per day, five to seven days per week. Beyond exercise, Walk On Pup trains, grooms, boards overnight and shuttles to veterinary appointments. In the future, Kennedy hopes to return to early childhood education, but her dream would be to provide canine therapy to kids.
While Kennedy and her partners have no immediate plans for children, she concedes that maybe one day she and Schwartz could both be mommies. She says the three of them have discussed harvesting Kennedy’s eggs so Schwartz could carry their future children. But, like most discussions of future plans, their relationship’s complicated legal status becomes the ultimate focus and unfortunate roadblock to decision-making.
“We’re Puritanical bastards in this country,” Kennedy says. “Personal life restrictions is what we legislate.”
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