Limited Partnership

Decades before the law was changed, one gay couple took on the US government to fight for marriage and immigration equality. Filipino American Richard Adams and Australian Tony Sullivan met in 1971 in Los Angeles and fell in love. In April 1975, thanks to a courageous county clerk in Boulder, Colorado they became one of the first same-sex couples in the world to be legally married. Richard filed for a green card for Tony based on their marriage. But unlike most heterosexual married couples who easily obtain green cards, Richard received a denial letter from the Immigration and Naturalization Service stating, ‘You have failed to establish that a bone fide marital relationship can exist between two faggots.’ To prevent Tony’s impending deportation, and outraged by this letter, the couple sued the U.S. government. This became the first federal lawsuit seeking equal treatment for a same-sex marriage in U.S. history. Over four decades of legal challenges, Richard and Tony figure out how to maintain their sense of humour, justice, and whenever possible, their privacy.