Together 30 years, gay couple weds in VA hospital when told it’s legal now

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Theirs is a love story for the ages. It began at first sight and has lasted throughout the decades. It has now grown stronger, despite illness and distance.

“The second I saw Takashi I knew he and I would be together forever,” a teary-eyed Dale Green, an 85-year-old Korean War veteran told The Pride L.A. “There wasn’t even a slight chance that we would not be. It was love at first sight and it was profound and mutual. We both knew that, then and there…and still,” he said.

Green and Takashi Nakaya, 53, met in Lima, Peru while working at a textile factory. The country was a hostile place at the time, engaged in a hostile conflict with rebels. It was also a less than welcoming environment for gay people. Green and Nakaya decided to move to Japan, after Nakaya was unable to get a visa to the United States.

The couple built a life together in Japan and from there traveled the world. Green was required to leave the country every few months in order to maintain his tourist visa. Japan does not offer much in the way of legal standing for same-sex relationships When Green suffered from what appeared to be a stroke, he was taken to a Japanese hospital, where he stayed for three weeks, without getting a thorough diagnosis. There were other issues as well.

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http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/09/together-30-years-gay-couple-weds-va-hospital-told-legal-now/

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