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Willkommen!

The Ariel Series is a contemporary love story about a Deaf queer couple learning, growing, and creating the meaning of family together. This couple is Maya (she/they) and Spencer (they/them) Ariel. Spencer and Maya both started The Ariel Series in August 2020. Spencer is the primary writer and content creator while Maya is what we like to call the backstage manager! Also, Spencer wrote a book in November 2022. You can check it out here.

Now, how did our little unit begin?

Five summers ago, Spencer and Maya attended a wedding in the Adirondacks in New York, not knowing of one another’s existence. Maya went as the guest of the bride. Spencer went as a “plus-one” date with a guest of the groom. The evening before the wedding, Spencer was lounging by the shoreline of a lake when they turned around to see Maya for the first time. She was prancing down the hill in a floral, summer dress, with a relaxed grin on their face. Almost instantly, Spencer was intrigued by her earthy, spirited essence. They felt a sense of excitement as they noticed Maya coming toward them. Confidently, Maya stuck out their hand and introduced herself in sign language, “Hi! I’m Maya. And you’re Spencer, yes? Someone told me about you so I was eager to meet you.”

Needless to say, Spencer was gripped right there and then. That night, they exchanged phone numbers and three days later, Spencer moved to the Midwest for graduate school. After nearly a year of getting to know one another and Maya visiting Spencer multiple times, Spencer travelled to Washington, D.C. for a visit. The night Spencer arrived, they signed a song in American Sign Language by Jason Mraz, “I’m Yours” to Maya. From that moment on, they entered an exclusive relationship.

For the next year and a half, they enjoyed seeing one once a month throughout long distance until Spencer graduated. A month later, Spencer moved to the District. Since then, the couple got hitched during the pandemic, moved to a suburban neighborhood along the outskirts of the city as first-time homeowners, got pregnant, and brought their lil CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Periwinkle, into the world! A lot more has happened since then but we’ll leave you with the most current – we’re expecting again. Our second child will be joining the family earthside in early 2024!

We don’t know who is on the other side or what you are thinking but we’re sure you’re a lovely stranger (or friend, hello!). As strong advocates of American Sign Language, we create content about being a family that uses ASL. We also share a bit here and there in narrative and video form about raising our CODA gender creatively. Finally, we wish to emulate what it is like to be Deaf and queer parents. If you’re here because you’re hoping to find content to learn from, we hope we can provide you with a few useful takeaways. If you are here because you can relate, here’s a high five and we’re glad you’re here. If you’re here because you know us, we’re so glad to know you and have your support. If you have any questions or would like to chat, please do contact us at thearielseries@gmail.com!

Shalom.