From couple, to father and son, to husband and husband: And it only took 53 years.

[eridani]

http://www.upworthy.com/from-couple-to-father-and-son-to-husband-and-husband-and-it-only-took-53-years?c=upw1&u=0e018d238c9aaf7e4ba540d085f1de6403eed500

Bill and Norman weren't asking for the right to fight for their love on reality TV. They just wanted to make sure that they were legally protected.

In New York, Bill and Norman were free to live as a married couple, with all the same rights as everyone else. Things like joint income taxes, home ownership and health care were right at their fingertips in New York. It was glorious! But in Pennsylvania, their legal protections went right out the window. Say, for example, Bill or Norman was to get sick and be hospitalized. Because Pennsylvania does not recognize them as married or blood related, they could be denied the right to see each other.

That's a pretty terrifying thought. So terrifying, in fact, that Bill and Norman knew they had to do something. They knew they couldn't get married, but they wanted to make sure they were legally protected just in case something happened.

If the state wouldn't recognize their marriage, they'd have to come up with something else. That's when they had an ingenious idea. Adoption.

In 2000, Bill and Norman decided to legally adopt each other. And while the idea of a father and son being married sounds like a strange (and illegal) one, for Bill and Norman it was the perfect loophole. As father and son, they were still able to file their taxes together and stay on each other's health insurance! Even though their new home of Pennsylvania wouldn't recognize their relationship, they found a way to honor it in their own way. Now that's one heck of a beautiful testament to how powerful love can be.