Settling in

Soon after the Chiaramontes moved to Maryland, Katie’s sister came to visit. In Baltimore County, she said her sibling has been keeping her hair “light and bright” — and purple.

“It was a relief,” Tweedy-Jones said. “I could see them, when I went to go visit them for the first time, just be very relaxed in their bodies, especially when we were out in public.”

More than a year into their new life in Maryland, Nia and Katie said they feel more understood — and they’ve encountered more people like themselves in everyday spaces.

In Maryland, the couple also found the peace needed to complete a book project they’ve been working on since 2022. They wanted to live in a place where “you don’t have to think about the fact that your identity exists, every single minute of every single day,” Katie said. Their book, “Embracing Queer Family,” is due out in May.

“Less people need to hide here, so being queer is more visible. So you just feel like a regular part of the fabric of your community,” said Katie, who works as a substitute teacher, writer and spiritual guide.

Their children spend time with others in their new neighborhood, and Katie has meditated with one of their neighbors.

“They had nothing to fear in our household,” said Sarah Treuhaft, who lives next door to the Chiaramontes.

They haven’t joined a new church in Maryland, but in mid-December attended a queer Christmas cabaret at the Baltimore City church Dreams and Visions.

They’ve visited beaches in Delaware, gone into D.C. a handful of times, and got museum and zoo passes.

In Iowa, Nia’s brother, Chris, now has a go-to response when he’s questioned about all of the changes in Nia’s and Katie’s lives: “They’ve moved out to Maryland, and everything seems to be going pretty well.”