A Wonder Woman Costume ‘Sealed the Deal'

New York Times

02-05-2025

Alexis Erin Lockhart and Amanda Leanne Jackson, who goes by Jax, first laid eyes on one another in July of 2021. It was in tiny boxes on a screen during a Zoom A.A. meeting that Ms. Lockhart was leading. 'I remember the first time I saw Jax,' Ms. Lockhart said, 'They were goofing off with their friends.'
Mx. Jackson, who uses they/them pronouns, recalls Ms. Lockhart saying, 'Do we need to stop the meeting? Is there something funny?'
Ms. Lockhart said, 'I knew they were trouble then.' However, the less-than-auspicious beginning left a lasting impression on them both.
A month later, they met for the first time at an in-person A.A. meeting in Houston, Texas. 'As the saying goes, meeting makers make it,' Ms. Lockhart said, referencing the recovery belief that meetings are critical to maintaining sobriety.
'I liked her,' Mx. Jackson said. 'She was kind and smart. She was sober, which was going to be something I had to have in any future relationships. I knew at that point that I wanted her in my life. I didn't know it would work out the way it did.'
The two then exchanged numbers and connected between meetings, 'purely as peer support for recovery,' Ms. Lockhart said.
After another in-person meeting in October 2021, 'There was this hug,' Ms. Lockhart said. 'I felt a spark that was more than friendship.'
On Oct. 30, 2021, Ms. Lockhart was just getting home from a Halloween party when the phone rang. It was a video call. Ms. Lockhart was dressed as Wonder Woman and caught Mx. Jackson very much by surprise when she answered.
Despite the connection, Ms. Lockhart said, 'We were not going to date,' as each wanted to prioritize their recovery. 'We hung out a lot, participated in recovery activities, and built a friendship based on honesty, trust, fondness and admiration,' she said.
Though they were hesitant to move beyond friendship, they went on their first date to Sapporo Japanese Bistro in Magnolia, Texas, on Nov. 20, 2021 — but still consider Oct. 30 as their anniversary. 'It was Alexis' Wonder Woman costume that sealed the deal,' Mx. Jackson said.
Mx. Jackson moved into Ms. Lockhart's home in Tomball, Texas, in the suburbs of Houston in July 2022. 'The fact that we waited 18 months was not very lesbian of us,' Ms. Lockhart said.
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In September 2023, when the two were vacationing in Belize, 'Jax wrote, 'Alexis u will marry me,' in the sand,' Ms. Lockhart said. But it wasn't until Dec. 31 that they formally asked. 'We were just lying in bed,' Mx. Jackson said. 'That is the place I feel safest.'
'Jax is like a comet streaking across the sky with light and heart and brightness,' Ms. Lockhart said. 'It's one of the most beautiful things I've seen.'
Ms. Lockhart, 47, works remotely as an executive marketing assistant for iRollie Marketing, which is headquartered in Utah. She earned an associate's degree in accounting from Houston Community College and a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of Houston, both online.
She grew up in Bremond, Texas, and came out at age 43. She has three sons from her previous marriage, one of whom died in a car accident in 2019. Four years ago, Ms. Lockhart adopted her niece.
Mx. Jackson, 36, is a certified recovery support peer specialist (RSPS) for a Houston recovery center for addiction. 'One of the requirements is to have lived experience,' Mx. Jackson said. 'I work in the same place where I got sober.'
Mx. Jackson's family, who lived in Fort Stockton, Texas, became aware of their relationship with a then-girlfriend after discovering hidden letters between them when Mx. Jackson was 15. Mx. Jackson was also previously married and later divorced.
Ms. Lockhart celebrated 20 years of sobriety on Dec. 6, 2024, and June 2025 will mark four years for Mx. Jackson. 'We are not at all remotely the same as we were when we first met,' Mx. Jackson said. 'And we are lucky to get to know each other deeper and to love deeper. We are constantly turning toward each other.'
On April 24, the two were wed by Joel Lawrence, who is ordained by Rose Ministries, on the rooftop of the Lofts at Prince in SoHo after spending the day taking photos all around the city, including Bethesda Fountain, Top of the Rock, The New York Public Library, The Stonewall Inn and Animal Haven. (The couple, who have three dogs, have fostered nearly 70 in their time together.)
Two guests were in attendance: Mx. Jackson's mother, Christy Martin, and their mother's best friend, Lisa Rodriguez. After the ceremony, the couple celebrated with their guests over dinner at Senza Gluten.
Marrying Ms. Lockhart felt 'like home,' Mx. Jackson said.
Ms. Lockhart said the day left her in disbelief that, 'I get to do this life forever, with my best friend, my best traveling partner, my confidant, my safest place, my love.'