They have been together for over 40 years.
The story may sound quite bizarre, but given the circumstances it’s actually quite sad.
Roland Bosee Jr and Nino Esposito have been together since the 1970s. The couple wanted legal protection so that they would be covered in the event of one of them dying. Because it was not legal for same-sex couples to wed in Pennsylvania where they live, they decided to go down a different route.
Instead Nino, who is 79, decided to adopt Roland, 69, meaning that they would be each others’ next of kin. The process came through in 2012.
So when same-sex marriage became legalised in America, the couple sought to wed. This would mean that they would have to dissolve the adoption.
When they brought it to the courts initially it was denied because judge Lawrence O’Toole told them it could only be dissolve in the case of something like fraud.
After an appeal, Pennsylvania Superior Court allowed the couple to revoke the adoption to allow them to become spouses.
The couple can now plan their wedding and be together they way they always wanted to be. According to Pink News the couple are “relieved” adding that it was a “wonderful Christmas gift”.
While the story sounds quite strange, Pink News state that gay couples often used adoption as a way to legally bind when gay marriage was not legal. It is quite a tragedy that so many loving couples had little options and often turned to adoption but great that they can now marry as equal citizens.
