Josh Davis, 31, and his partner, Craig Comes, 29, have been together for about 11 months. They each grew up on ranches just over the border in South Dakota. Now, they divide their time between working on Comes' family ranch in Camp Crook, SD, and Bowman, ND, where Comes is a volunteer EMT. 

Davis has been out for almost 10 years, and Comes came out in 2006.

"I was scared to death to tell my family, because we're kind of a small-town, Christian people," he said. "Divorce is just a huge sin, so I couldn't imagine coming out to them."

Both Davis and Comes say that after initially struggling with the news, their families have accepted their sexuality. Now, they're working on having them accept their serious relationship. 

"We're kind of breaking them in slowly, I guess," Comes said. "We don't hold hands or do much touching around them."

Last week, Comes and Davis traveled to Bismarck for the fifth-annual PRIDE fest, a three-day outdoor festival sponsored by Dakota Outright, a gay and lesbian community group. 

"It was nice, because you don't have to look over your shoulder, thinking, 'Oh, some family is over there, watching us, and we should be careful what we do, and we can't hold hands,'" Davis said. "We don't have to worry about that. It's good to be yourself, and it's like a vacation."

Being out and in a relationship in a town with only about 400 people means that they're constantly conscious of how they act around each other. They both say they don't want to offend anyone who doesn't agree with their lifestyle.

"It's hard," Davis said. "For everyone involved. Because it's new and weird for them, and it's uncomfortable, as it is, for you." 

The couple hope to get married someday, or at least have a civil union or domestic partnership. In 2004, both North and South Dakota banned gay marriage, and amended each state constitution. 

"Four years ago, I didn't think about it at all, because I never thought I'd actually want to get married," Davis said. "However, I pay attention to issues like that now. And it's not that I need to marry Craig. I want to, and we probably will some day. But I would rather just have the benefits. If something were to happen, I would like to be the one to go to the hospital and make the decisions. Right now, they're saying you can't do that."

After years of struggling, both Comes and Davis insist that they have come to terms with their duality, as out gay men and rural ranchers. They plan to continue to ranch, and encourage other young people struggling with their sexuality to find peace with it. 

"I know it sucks, but don't give up. Life is worth it," said Davis. "It's never as bad as you think it is, because you're living in the moment, and you're caught up in the moment, and life really isn't all that bad."

Check out a video about Josh and Craig here: http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF0098A10B001700991E33/