If there’s one thing that will be constant about same-sex marriage, it’s that gay divorce will follow it wherever it goes.
Like a dark shadow, this was an implication that was realized when same-sex marriage was finally legalized.
An issue rarely talked about when it comes to LGBT relationships, gay divorce forces us to admit a universal truth: some relationships don’t last a lifetime.
Gay divorce is here to stay
Groups championing same-sex marriages may downplay this issue with the LGBT community still enjoying their newly-won legal right to marry. Because of this, many of the legal kinks are still being ironed out.
At the same time, anti-same sex marriage groups still keep throwing issues against the LGBT community, one of which is gay divorce.
But that’s the thing we have to admit: if same-sex marriage is here here to stay, so will gay divorce. This is a reality that should be acknowledged and dealt with while it’s still in its early stages.
“Divorce is by no means romantic, but it is still one of the most profoundly important incidents as a right of civil marriage,” exolained Allen Drexel, a divorce lawyer who specializes in family law.
Same-sex divorce set to boom
Experts say that America is experiencing a gay divorce boom that we have yet to see full scale.
On one hand, only one percent of same-sex marriages went into divorce on the average. Heterosexual marriages, on the other hand, average two percent a year.
Unfortunately, divorce experts fear that same-sex marriages will soon catch up with heterosexual marriages.
Currently, it’s couples who’ve been together for a long time who are getting married. But soon, more and more young couples will jump into marriage, and the possibility that this will lead to divorce later on goes up.
Wedlock and the marriage trap
Another issue concerning gay divorce is that some states have yet to recognize same-sex marriage– while some states have yet to legalize gay divorce.
On this matter, “wedlocked” is the term used by Florida lawyer Elizabeth Schwartz who specializes in gay and lesbian issues.
Florida is one of those states that doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage so some people marry in other states that recognize it.
However, legalities of gay divorce in those states require that they have to live there for six months to one year when they file for a divorce.
For Schwartz, there is so much to learn about the legalities of same-sex marriages and the gay divorce that follows it.
“It’s really an uphill battle in terms of education,” Schwartz said.
That why, if we are to legally bind ourselves to our partners, we must also admit the chances of legally unbinding that marriage later on.