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Father and son fight for adoption to be dissolved so they can marry

A US court has heard the case of a father and son who want to annul their adoption so they can get married.

Two men, who are legally father and son, are fighting for the dissolution of their adoption so they can get married, a US court has heard.

Partners Nino Esposito, 78, and Roland Bosee, 68, both from Pennsylvania, US, entered into an adoption agreement in 2012 because it was the “the most legitimate thing available to us” in lieu of marriage.

The pair, who have been in a romantic relationship for 40 years, are not related by blood but chose to become an adoptive father and son because gay marriage was still barred in the US at the time.

“We thought we were getting ahead of the game,” said Mr Bosee, who became the ‘son’ in the arrangement.

But since the overturning of the law, and the legalisation of same-sex marriage country-wide, the couple are now seeking their adoption overturned so they can get married.

“We realised we could have a complete union, which is what we want,” Mr Esposito said.

However their plans to have their adoption dissolved are currently at a standstill, due to the fact that a state judge will only annul an adoption if it is fraudulent.

“It’s sort of ironic,” said Mr Bosee, “Instead of being a help, [the adoption] has become a roadblock, a hindrance, to what we should be allowed to do now.”

Mr Bosee and Mr Esposito are currently in the midst of a legal battle in order to broker the annulment of their adoption.

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