An AIDS Walk to Remember...Lisa Gonzales-Burris and Maureen Gonzales-Burris

By John Grossi

Lisa and Maureen met while at UC Irvine, when they were 18 and 22 respectively. They were part of a large circle of friends. At the time, both were seeing other women and were just friends—not romantically interested. Fast forward 10 years later. Both Lisa and Maureen found themselves living in Long Beach - due largely to the fact they knew it was a welcoming community for LGBTQ+ individuals. Though not in touch at the time, a mutual friend invited them and others to join the Long Beach AIDS Walk on March 4th, 1990. They were now 28 and 32 years old.

The First Date

Lisa and Maureen found each other, but not their mutual friend, at the 1990 Long Beach Aids Walk. They ended up walking together! After catching up on each other’s previous relationships, they talked about the values and goals that mattered most to them in life. By the end of the walk, they both recognized that something had very clearly changed. They no longer thought of each other as just friends. Lisa and Maureen consider the Long Beach AIDS Walk their anniversary. The next week, they went on a more official date to the Art Theater on 4th Street to watch the movie “Shirley Valentine.”

The Rest is History...

Lisa and Maureen have been together 32 years, raised a daughter who is now 20, and were married the year it became legal for them to do so in 2008. They were married at The Unitarian Universalist Church in Long Beach, where they have been very active. They love to promote the church as very progressive and welcoming to all.

Date Ideas from Lisa and Maureen

• Participate in the Long Beach AIDS Walk and Long Beach Pride Parade.

• Attend Long Beach State Women’s Basketball games.

• Support a local bookstore— their favorite was Chelsea Books on Broadway.

• Go out for Mexican food—used to love Mi Lupita’s when it was in Long Beach and now regularly go to Baja Sonora and Lola’s.