For the most part, you really cannot choose who you happen to fall in love with. Although you can definitely decide what you want to do with those feelings, you cannot force yourself to stop. This couple in Utah, United States of America, is madly in love with each other, but the law does not allow them to get married. Why? Because they are cousins! Challenging the regulation, the couple has created an online petition calling for the state to let them to get legally married. Their plea has since gone viral, and the duo has been making both national and international headlines recently. Drunk Teens Wake Up on Barcelona Flight After Night Out. 

According to the KTVX, Angie Lee’s father is the oldest of 12 children, and Michael Lee’s mother is the fifth child in that same family. “My first cousin and I have been in love with each other our whole lives but we are prohibited from marrying in the state of Utah where we live. We believe that the law is outdated and it needs to be changed so that we can socially legitimize our love,” reads the online petition. Angie told the CBS News that she has always loved her cousin, ever since she was in second grade. “We just always played a lot,” recalled Angie. “We went into a closet and we were kissing and dancing together. It just felt really natural,” she was quoted further. Wearing Thongs in This Italian Province Could Cost You $2,800 in Fine! Here's Why. 

To make their relationship official, Michael even spoke to Angie’s mother, who told they could not get married, but can be friends. Every time they saw each other at family functions, the connection between them stayed strong. The cousins were caught kissing once by family members, and that is when they got in trouble. Angie said they were kept apart. They even got married to other people, and Angie had three children with her husband. However, eventually, both couples got divorced. Angie and Michael did not see each other for about ten years and whey they finally showed up to their grandmother’s house in Christmas 2018, the immediately reconnected, reveals the same report.

“We decided that we were just going to be open with our love. It was really scary to think about how our family would react because they are conservative Mormons... we thought we might be excluded,” Angie said further. The couple received mixed responses from their family members, but are adamant about challenging the law. Both exchanged vows in a Colorado courthouse and are waiting for the Utah law to get changed.

Colorado is one of those states, where it is legal for first cousins to marry. Utah allows marriage between first cousins only if both are over 65 years in age. The couple wants the law changed so that their relationship is recognised in their home state. Their goal is to get 1,000 signatures.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 08, 2019 05:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).