Brauwyn Windham-Burke and Jennifer Spinner.Photo: zerojack/Star Max/GC Images
Braunwyn Windham-BurkeandJennifer Spinnerwant to use their privilege to make a difference — especially in their new home state of Tennessee.
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE,The Real Housewives of Orange Countyalum, 45, and Spinner, 38, explain why they chose to move to the south as a queer couple and how they hope to foster a change for the LGBTQ+ community amid the current climate.
“I know when we moved here, a lot of people were like, ‘Why would you move your family here?’” Windham-Burke tells PEOPLE. “And my response was, ‘It’s easier to be gay in West Hollywood and Brooklyn, but this is where we need to be right now. We have a lot of privilege. Let’s do the work to make every part of this country safe for future generations.’”
Spinner agrees, adding that she feels it’s important to be aware of the “privilege and safety” she has as a “white middle class person” who “grew up upper middle class.” She also notes that she didn’t want to let “other people’s hatred and prejudice and bias” deter her from following Windham-Burke to Franklin, Tennessee.
“Queer people keep not going to the areas that are hostile because they don’t want to deal with it or it’s unsafe. And those [perspectives] are valid,” she says. “No one should have to do anything that they don’t want to do that’s unsafe. But for me, I was like, I’m not going to let other people’s hatred and prejudice and bias impact my ability to live with my family. I’m not going to be an occasional visitor in Braunwyn’s life.”
Braunwyn Windham-Burke and Jennifer Spinner.Tommaso Boddi/Getty
Last week, The Human Rights Council declared an“official state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the United States for the first time,”citing 75anti-LGBTQ+ billsthat have been signed into law so far in 2023. A number of these bills — ranging from anti-trans legislation todrag bans— hail from southern states.
“This is my home now and I can assure you, no amount of hateful rhetoric is going to run me out of town,” the caption continued. “This is going to be my first Pride month living in the South and I have to say, I’ve never felt more proud or more connected to my community than I do right now.”
“This is not an isolated incident,” Spinner says. “We love our town, we love our house, we love our community, but there have been some intense interactions that I’ve had with people, especially when I’m with the kids.”
Windham-Burke sharesseven children— five of whom are minors — with ex-husband Sean Burke, whom shefiled for divorce fromin 2022. He has a room at their house and often stays with them, with the three working together as co-parents.
Windham-Burke and Spinner explained that their primary motivation for moving to Tennessee was the “cost of living” and “good schools” for the kids.
Sean Burke and Braunwyn Windham-Burke.Randy Shropshire/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Spinner adds that, despite the harassment she’s faced, they’ve also had some “amazing” experiences in Tennessee, including one time when a woman “chased after her” after checking out at a Walmart.
“I was like, ‘Oh God, this is not good,’” Spinner recalls. “So I just keep walking quicker. And she was like, ‘No, I just wanted to apologize to you. Not everyone here is like this. I’m so sorry. I saw what happened, and it’s not okay.’”
“And I was like, ‘Okay, you know what? There are some good people here,” she adds.
For Windham-Burke, she believes being a vocal ally in a time like this is essential.
“You can’t say, ‘I’m not political’ anymore. This is human rights,” she says. “This is literally my wife hiding in the bushes. If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not being an ally.”
Braunwyn Windham-Burke.Tibrina Hobson/Getty
In February, the coupleunofficially tied the knotin a Las Vegas ceremony. Because Windham-Burke is still in the process of divorcing her ex, the marriage isn’t legal yet — but the commitment is still just as real to them.
“We were talking and we were like, ‘F— it, let’s just go and do it. I know I’m going to be with you for the rest of my life, you know you’re going to be with me for the rest of my life. What are we waiting for?’” Windham-Burke previously told PEOPLE in February. “She’s the love of my life. She’s my soul mate. And as she’s told me, I’m hers. Neither of us thought we’d have love like this and we’d find our person. So we just wanted our life to begin. When youcome outlater in life, you just want to seize all the moments."
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“I know I can’t legally marry her right now, as I’m still going through divorce proceedings,” she adds. “But in my eyes and my heart, she’s my wife and I’m hers.”
source: people.com
