• Home
  • About The Swirl World
  • Meet The Contributors
  • Shop
  • Contact Us
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Privacy Policy

The Swirl World

Celebrating and Elevating Black Women - mind, body, soul and spirit!


Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

They’re Back – Swirl Couple Gene-Leigh and Seth Wheeler!

February 14, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

GENE-LEIGH AND SETH WHEELER CUT THE CAKE

Happy Valentine’s Day, Swirlers!

I’ve been busy celebrating my favorite holiday and preparing for an out-of-town getaway.

Whether you’re single or boo-ed up, I trust that you love YOU and you’re making this an awesome day.

As a special treat we’re featuring another installment from our resident Swirlers Gene-Leigh and Seth Wheeler.

Today, Gene-Leigh discusses how she opened her mind and heart – and met the love of her life. Happy Reading!

How I Came to Swirl

It’s funny what you learn about yourself when you are willing to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new.  If someone would have told me 14 years ago that my husband would be a White punk rocker from a little hick town, I’d have labeled them insane and called for a psychological evaluation.  Before my husband, I’d never dated outside of my race – so the experience was completely foreign, and I was a bit on edge.  I’d explicitly gone out of my way to push away ALL non-Black men in an effort to remain true to my heritage.  It was only as I grew in myself, and realized that I was hurting my chances of having a long-lasting relationship did I open my mind to an alternate point of view. 

A Man – or a MATE?

I’ve dated Black men.  Quite a few Black men, as a matter of fact. While each man had attributes that made them good men, they also had attributes that made them bad MATES.  DISCLAIMER: I am NOT in ANY WAY bashing Black men–that would be generalizing a group of people based on the actions of a few (aside from the fact that my brother is one of the most amazing men I’ve ever known in my entire life).  In these relationships in my early to mid-20s however, I was subjecting myself to unnecessary abuses to stay “within my race.”  How many potentially good relationships did I miss out on because the men who approached me were the “wrong” color?  I’ll never know.  This isn’t to say that men of all creeds, colors, and races don’t come with baggage and problems (y’all know that Halle Berry went THROUGH IT with Gabriel Aubry) but to limit ourselves to only Black men because we feel we are doing our race an injustice is ludicrous, to say the least. 

Seth and Swirling

Seth, on the other hand, has known he’s had a bit of a streak for Black women since he was a LITTLE BOY.  Younger than 10, by the stories he’s told me.  He remembers being a kid, and watching television shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and (gasp) Saved by the Bell, and being attracted to the Black leading ladies as well as their White counterparts. 

His issue was that as a result of living in such a small cloistered community (only about 1,000 or so people) there weren’t very many opportunities for swirling, so he dated White women instead.  Now don’t get me wrong—-my husband LOVES women no matter what color they are, and that’s what makes him so awesome. Surprisingly, he’d only dated one other Black woman aside from me before we met, and while the two of them got along well, her family would have been less than accepting of her choice to date and potentially marry someone who wasn’t Black.  This girl eventually moved out of the area, and it crushed him, because he really liked her. 

Well . . .  her loss.  Seth doesn’t see me as a “Black woman,” he sees me as someone who is loving, caring, supportive, and beautiful.  The fact that I am Black is secondary to him which makes for interesting conversations with people who have never met me.  Imagine their surprise when he shows off our wedding pictures! 

Just Know that Men are Men

SN: As I’m sitting cross-legged on our bed typing this entry, Seth is hollering from our master bathroom about a plumber’s wrench he can’t find:

Seth: Dammit, do you know where that wrench is?

Me (typing): Seth I have no idea . . . .

(A few minutes of silence go by peppered only by my fingers tapping away merrily on the laptop. . . .)

Seth: Gene, hello?

Me (starting to get annoyed): No Seth, I don’t know where it is.

Seth (getting annoyed right along with me): GENE, DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE WRENCH IS???

Me (at the top of my lungs): NO! I SAID NO TWICE, CAN YOU NOT HEAR ME???? GOOD LORD!!!

 See? Men are men no matter what the color—-they hear what they want, they want their tools, and they don’t listen J)

Seth, a MRI technologist, and Gene-Leigh, a family therapist, live in Pittsburgh, Pa. The couple describes themselves as “Two of the most down-to-earth folks you will ever meet although we are both a bit nutty.”  

 

Stay tuned for more adventures from this lovely Swirl Couple!

Join in the Fray: Why do you Swirl?

Copyright © 2013 Michelle Matthews Calloway, ASwirlGirl, All rights reserved.

 

Be Sociable! Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Tweet
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Filed Under: Guest Blog, Special, Uncategorized Tagged With: Black, Black women, Black. White, dating, interracial, interracial dating, interracial marriage, interracial relationships, Marriage, soul mate, swirling

About Michelle Matthews-Calloway

I'm a native Louisianan currently living in Dallas, TX. I have a B.S. degree in marketing, an MBA and a PhD in higher education administration. I love writing and research, and also thoroughly enjoy reading and working out.

I am passionate about cultural/ethnic diversity and interracial relationships; so much so that my dissertation focused on these concepts. I'm a widow, and I started dating interracially a few years after my husband passed away. In addition to blogging about interracial relationships and social issues, we also provide a podcast available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Sound Cloud and Stitcher.

You can also find me on Twitter or Instagram @ASwirlGirl.

Do you love vintage photos and history with your pop culture? Them come and join me and Podcast Co-Host Adrienne London Leach on Facebook at Facebook.com/TheSwirlWorld. If you love our military, come and show our warriors some love at Facebook.com/Military Swirl.

In The Swirl World we celebrate and elevate Black Women - mind, body, soul and spirit!™

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Show more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

The Swirl World Mug
The Swirl World Mug
by TheSwirlWorld

Join The Swirl Nation and Receive Updates Via Email!

Are You In?

Provide your email address if you'd like to hear from us from time to time. We promise we won't spam you!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

Looking for something? Search here!

Welcome!

I’m Michelle Matthews-Calloway, and I’m A Swirl Girl! Greetings to you from The Swirl World. We encourage Black women to expand their relationship options by dating and marrying interracially. Our overarching mission is to see Black Women live their best life. Come Swirl with us in The Swirl World™, where we celebrate Black women and the diverse men who love us!™

Join The Swirl World on Facebook

Join The Swirl World on Facebook

Listen to the Podcast on Sound Cloud

Join A Swirl Girl On Instagram

Instagram

Connect With Michelle On LinkedIn

View Michelle Matthews Calloway's profile on LinkedIn

Check Out Interracial Match!

InterracialMatch.com - the best interracial dating site!
InterracialMatch.com - the best interracial dating site!
The Swirl World Logo Flow Tee
The Swirl World Logo Flow Tee
by TheSwirlWorld
The Swirl World Logo Sticker
The Swirl World Logo Sticker
by TheSwirlWorld

Podcasts We Love

  • #SmartBrownVoices
  • Back2Us Radio Network
  • Behind The Brilliance
  • Black Girl Nerds
  • Design The Life You Want
  • Her Power Hustle
  • Interracial Jawn
  • Just Thinkin' Out Loud Media
  • Live By Design Inspiration Radio
  • Nerdy Black Chicks
  • The Freedom Biz
  • The Productive Woman
  • This Week In Blackness

Blogroll

  • 500and50
  • A Black Girl's Guide to Weight Loss
  • African American 101
  • Afrobella
  • Alaia Williams
  • Alphanista
  • Awesomely Luvvie
  • Baggage Reclaim
  • Beyond Black & White
  • Black Female Interracial Marriage
  • Black Girl Nerds
  • Black Girls Blogging
  • Black Women Deserve Better™
  • Black Women with Other Brothers
  • Black Women’s Interracial Relationship Circle
  • Bougie Black Girl
  • Chonilla
  • Courtney Herring
  • Elle Veg- All Things Vegetarian
  • For Harriet
  • Happy Black Woman
  • Interracial Dating Coach
  • Joyce L. Rodgers
  • Just Ask Kaye
  • Kaywanda Lamb
  • Littlefoot's Journey
  • LorMarie's Place
  • Married Girl in a Weird World
  • Mom's 'N Charge
  • MONETIZE THYSELF with Nicole Walters
  • Neecy's Nest
  • Oneika the Traveller
  • Petals
  • Socialite Dreams
  • Surviving Dating
  • Talk To Amber
  • The New Elegant Black Woman
  • The Social Graces & Savoir Faire Institute of Etiquette
  • The Sojourner’s Passport
  • The Style and Beauty Doctor
  • The Trendy Socialite
  • The Working Home Keeper
  • The World of Miss Glamtastic
  • Tia Delano
  • Water Cooler Convos

Copyright Terms:

All rights reserved. All work is the copyright of the respective owner, otherwise copyright ©2015 Michelle Matthews Calloway, ASwirlGirl™, The Swirl World™, The Swirl World Podcast™, The Swirl World Inspiration Daily™, Swirl Nation™, all rights reserved, Dallas, TX, USA.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Archives

  • October 2018 (1)
  • August 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • February 2018 (1)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • December 2017 (1)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • October 2017 (1)
  • August 2017 (2)
  • July 2017 (2)
  • June 2017 (2)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • April 2017 (2)
  • March 2017 (1)
  • February 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • December 2016 (14)
  • November 2016 (3)
  • October 2016 (2)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (4)
  • July 2016 (9)
  • June 2016 (9)
  • May 2016 (11)
  • April 2016 (5)
  • March 2016 (11)
  • February 2016 (13)
  • January 2016 (7)
  • December 2015 (34)
  • November 2015 (32)
  • October 2015 (35)
  • September 2015 (34)
  • August 2015 (34)
  • July 2015 (32)
  • June 2015 (38)
  • May 2015 (40)
  • April 2015 (37)
  • March 2015 (37)
  • February 2015 (33)
  • January 2015 (37)
  • December 2014 (18)
  • November 2014 (7)
  • October 2014 (5)
  • September 2014 (8)
  • August 2014 (7)
  • July 2014 (12)
  • June 2014 (9)
  • May 2014 (3)
  • April 2014 (4)
  • March 2014 (8)
  • February 2014 (5)
  • January 2014 (7)
  • December 2013 (8)
  • November 2013 (2)
  • October 2013 (2)
  • September 2013 (4)
  • August 2013 (6)
  • July 2013 (30)
  • June 2013 (4)
  • May 2013 (5)
  • April 2013 (29)
  • March 2013 (5)
  • February 2013 (5)
  • January 2013 (31)
  • December 2012 (4)
  • November 2012 (29)
  • October 2012 (2)
  • August 2012 (1)
  • July 2012 (1)
  • June 2012 (3)
  • May 2012 (1)
  • April 2012 (1)
  • May 2011 (4)
  • April 2011 (5)
  • March 2011 (4)
  • February 2011 (4)
  • January 2011 (4)

Copyright © 2025 · The Swirl World™ LLC. All Rights Reserved. · Log in

%d