Friday, July 21, 2006

Gay marriage and divorce

In May of 2004, I wrote a short post celebrating the marriage of Julie and Hillary Goodridge and their landmark first ever legal same-sex marriage. At the time, I hailed their marriage as a significant step forward for civil rights in the United States. In the back of my mind, I wondered about the new crop of gay marriages. I wondered when we would see the first gay divorce. I guessed maybe five years down the road. I was wrong.

Over half of all marriages end in divorce, why would a gay marriage be any different. I had 50 hits on my origianl post today. When I followed up to see why, I found that gay trailblazers Julie and Hillary Goodridge are separated and heading for a divorce. That’s right, after a little more than two years, the Goodridges are calling it quits.

What does this mean? It means absolutely nothing! In my heart of hearts, I had wished them a happy and healthy marriage. After all, there is a child involved. The fact that they intend to divorce simply cements their normalcy. So many of my acquaintances, though few of my friends, are already on their second and third marriages. Why would we hold gay marriages to a different standard?


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