EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah (WSVN) — Two cousins are petitioning the State of Utah to change their laws so their marriage can be legally recognized.
According to KTVX, Angie and Michael Lee say they have loved each other since childhood.
Angie’s father is the oldest of 12 siblings, while Michael’s mother is the fifth child in the same set of siblings.
The two say their love started as a crush in the second grade.
“I remember I stopped her mother and said, ‘I’m going to marry Angie.’ And she said, ‘No, I’m sorry, you can’t, but you can be friends,'” Michael said.
Over the years, family vacations would bring the two closer together, but social norms would then pull them apart. However, after reuniting after being apart for 10 years, the pair decided to disregard the risks.
“We’re like, ‘OK, this is crazy, but we’re adults now, and we’re single now. We’re just going to go for it, and who cares what our family thinks?” Angie Lee said.
The two made the trip from Utah to Colorado so they could tie the knot. But now, they have started a petition to have their home state recognize their union.
Utah law currently allows marriage for first cousins if the couple is over the age of 65, or if they are 55 and can prove they are infertile.
“No one I’ve ever been with will make me feel as perfect as she does, and her being my cousin and some of the responses is a small price to pay,” Michael Lee said. “I’ve always loved you, Angie. You know that.”
If the couple were to have children, the chances that they will have a genetic disorder is 4 to 7 percent more likely, as compared to 3 to 4 percent for non-related couples, KTVX reported, citing data from Columbia University.
“The genetic consequences, the biological consequences are very small. It’s more what people might think and say,” Michael Lee said.
The couple has now started an online petition. As of Thursday afternoon, they had collected over 300 signatures out of their 1,000 signature goal.
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