Couple Who Fought for Gay Marriage
Files for Divorce
In 2003, Julie and Hillary Goodridge were among seven gay
couples in Massachusetts that sued for the right to marry. The lawsuit led to the historic court ruling legalizing gay marriage in the state. Massachusetts was the first state to legalize same-sex marriage.
The Goodridges' lawsuit against the state, which argued for
equal marriage rights regardless of sexual orientation, went to the
Massachusetts Supreme Court. In Nov.
2003, in a 4-3 decision, the state's highest court ruled that it was
unconstitutional to allow only heterosexual couples to marry. On Feb. 4, 2004, the court confirmed its
ruling, saying only full marriage rights for gay couples, not civil unions,
would conform to the state's constitution.
According to CNN, President Bush called the ruling
"deeply troubling" and said, "If activist judges insist on
re-defining marriage by court order, the only alternative will be the
constitutional process. We must do what
is legally necessary to defend the sanctity of marriage."
The Massachusetts Family Institute, a public policy group,
fought to repeal the legalization of gay marriage in the state.
Despite all the adversity, the Massachusetts Supreme Court
ruling cleared the way for same-sex marriages. In May 2004, the Goodridges became the first same-sex couple in the
country to marry. They tied the knot in
Massachusetts on the first day gay marriage became legal, reported WCVB Channel 5 Boston.
In July 2006, the first same-sex couple to legally marry
announced they were separating. Last
week the couple filed
for divorce in Suffolk Probate and Family Court, according to The
Associated Press. The women share custody
of their 12-year-old daughter.
After the California Supreme Court struck down the ban on
same-sex marriage in the state on May 15, 2008, gay couples flooded courthouses
to obtain marriage licenses. According to WorldNetDaily, Theresa
Ramirez and Adelita Guajardo of Fresno County, Calif. were one of the couples
to marry shortly after the ban was lifted. They filed for divorce just three days later, citing
"irreconcilable differences."
The divorce process for gay couples in states that allow
same-sex marriages may be the same as it is for heterosexual couples; however, if a gay couple moves to a state
that does not allow gay marriage, getting divorced may be troublesome.
The Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled in Dec. 2007 that
same-sex couples who married in Massachusetts could not legally divorce in
Rhode Island, because the state's family court did not have authority over
same-sex marriages, reported Reuters.
