GREENSBORO, N.C. — The moment Adam and Sean Henderson found out they could be legally married in 2012, tears streamed down their smiling faces; after over 20 years as a couple, they could finally tie the official knot.

It’s been just eight years since they said “I do,” but now they’re fearful that the moment they’d waited so long for could be at risk. With the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe V. Wade, new worries about their future as an official union have risen, something they never thought they’d have to feel again. 

The couple began their love story 27 years ago, but they couldn’t always comfortably and safely share it with those around them. Adam Henderson worked in sales and for years, his business conversations were laced with lies and details they often couldn’t share. Sean Henderson was often regarded as his wife and in their words, it was just unfortunately how things had to be at that time. 

“At times, it was super frustrating. Because you’d be having personal conversations with either coworkers or other people that you interact with in the business world, and either you sat there silent, or you lie,” Adam Henderson admitted.       

Lies and secrets have since become a distant memory of their past, but the familiar feelings of worry about their future have resurfaced. For Sean and Adam Henderson, while marriage not only meant the solidification of their love, it also meant legal protection.

Without a marriage license, the couple would have no legal right to each other’s assets and, in case of a medical emergency, would have no legal standing to make decisions on one another’s behalf. In some cases, especially of those in which families are unsupportive, that alone has proven dangerous and even life threatening. 

“I used to have to keep a thumb drive of documents. So, if I ever ended up in a hospital somewhere, that he had the legal rights to make decisions,” Adam Henderson said. “So, it kind of seems like we’re going back that way.”

Now, for the first time since they wed in 2012, that thumb drive has regained its unfortunate purpose, and they’ve prepared for the worst. 

“I immediately called my attorney, so we can set up a time to go have all those documents redrawn, so I can put them back on a thumb drive and carry them with me,” Adam Henderson shared. “Even though we’re married legally for almost eight years.” 

While the house passed a bill this week ensuring same-sex couples, the right to marry, the Hendersons are remaining as prepared as they are remaining hopeful. North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis was one of five GOP senators signaling support of the bill, but it still has to make its way through the Senate, where it will need five more Republican votes to defeat a possible filibuster.