It started with Ravenclaw

Randy Holaday

He messaged Anthony because his profile mentioned he was a Ravenclaw. 

When English teacher Randy Holaday and Anthony, his current boyfriend, began to chat, they immediately clicked, bonding over Harry Potter. 

Holaday calls himself and Anthony “huge nerds” — after texting on an online dating app, their first date took place on St. Patrick’s Day, where they continued their theme of magic. Anthony taught him the card game Magic: The Gathering. 

And years later, they will be celebrating their eighth anniversary in March. 

Holaday says they still like magic — they played with their Magic decks last week, with the Super Bowl on TV in the background. Not only are they “huge nerds,” they’re also “fantasy nerds”: they like to read and discuss sci-fi novels, are currently watching “His Dark Materials” on HBO together and are hooked on the video game “Genshin Impact.” 

“I’m an introvert and I like being alone,” Holaday said. “But having him there feels natural. I like the down time that we spend together. I can feel like I’m getting my alone recharge time with him there. My favorite thing to do is just sitting, playing video games next to each other. And feeling like I have somebody there, but I don’t necessarily need to talk to them.”

They love to travel together too, and Holaday says that since Anthony is a huge foodie, their guiding question for every vacation they take is: will Anthony get to go to all the places he wants to eat?

When they went to Nashville, one of their favorite vacations to date, Holaday remembers eating a lot of food. He also remembers watching a live show together at Bluebird Cafe; a lucky opportunity, since Holaday’s friend’s dad happened to be a working musician there. And he remembers the bluegrass music emanating from the stage, making for a perfect moment. 

“Don’t stress out about love,” Holaday said. “I didn’t date anyone until my current partner; he was my first boyfriend ever. I was 24 years old. I think in high school I was very much like ‘Oh no! Everyone’s dating, you need to find somebody.’ And now I find this guy, and I can’t get rid of him eight years later.”