Julie, Hillary Goodridge To Divorce, Couple Led Gay Marriage Fight In Massachusetts

BOSTON — A lesbian couple who led the fight for gay marriage in Massachusetts has filed for divorce. Julie and Hillary Goodridge were among seven gay couples who filed a lawsuit that led to a court ruling making Massachusetts the first state to legalize same-sex marriages in 2004. The couple became the public face of the debate in the state and married the first day same-sex marriages became legal.

The divorce case was filed last week in Suffolk Probate and Family Court and was not unexpected. The couple announced they were separating in 2006.

Messages left for the Goodridges were not immediately returned Tuesday.

Comments

[RRastaman]

WHY SHOULD LESBIANS BE ANY LESS MISERABLE THAN US HETEROS?

[dm10003]

wow, no one has EVER told that joke before.

[BeltwayInsider]

Same sex couples should NOT have exclusive rights to misery.

[jozinha]

Needs to be said:
Marriage isn't for everybody.

[dutchman]

But people need to decide that for themselves, not others.

[NoblesseOblige]

This is very sad. But, I'm celebrating. Today my partner and I are recognizing our 36th anniversary as 2 gay men living together--without the legal benefit of civil unions or marriage. It's been a great time we've had together so far. And, the time has zipped by so fast. I hope we have many more years together. And, I wish the next generation of gay men and women more rights and less hassle than we've experienced. It will happen!

peace

[my2girls]

Congrats to you and your partner!

[NoblesseOblige]

Thank you, my2girls.

[sukiposeyzena]

Congratulations!
I'm happy for you.
My partner and I are right behind you!

[NoblesseOblige]

Thank you, sukiposeyzena, and best wishes to you and your partner!

[Nile Liszt]

Would you like to re-phrase that last sentence?

[C0Y0TE2]

proof that marriage is NOT necessary for commitment. But that does NOT mean that any civil benefits from from legal "marriage' should be excluded from you.

[NoblesseOblige]

Thank you. That's why we hope prop 8 is overturned next month. It's a long, long road for so many of us. But, in the end, we will prevail.

[ksmagenta]

Congratulations on your time together. Best wishes for many more loving years for the two of you.

[NoblesseOblige]

Thank you, ksmagenta, Your best wishes are appreciated.

peace

[erinker]

That's awesome! Cheers to you and your partner!

[Stilts9]

God, can't people make up their minds?

[Meok]

They are now part of the divorce statistics....That's all...

[rabiddog6708]

Gay marriages would end just like hetero marriages do every day. They are not saying they are superior to male/female marriages.....but they are not inferior either.

[Gunga-Din]

A 10 years old child? wooooo. I am too old.

[Topfeeder]

Sad. Divorce is always sad. Best of luck to both.

[Bubba Gump]

I feel the same way. So sad. Unfortunately, not all relationships survive the test of time.

[TLV]

Oh, no! What will this do to the sanctity of ....oh, wait. 50% of all married couples get divorced in this country - gay or straight.

As Emily Litella used to say, "Never mind!"

[cyoohoos]

Yawn. Let them get a divorce. No story here. Hetereo-marriages do it everyday.

[readmewell22]

Exactly, actually, I think its comical!!!

[Athenais]

If we had universal healthcare in this country, marriage would cease to be such an issue. A major incentive to marriage/disincentive to divorce is one partner having coverage through the other's health insurance. Marriage is a dinosaur anyway.

[luvobama]

not mine.

[SJBrown]

Do you have any data to support this claim? I've never heard anyone say they were getting married to get health insurance.

[my2girls]

Get your head out of the sand... health insurance is huge.

[slaxx]

i actually know of a couple who got married solely for the health insurance ( i think the husband had/has some kind of illness).

it may not be the sole reason, but i think it can be a contributing factor for people deciding to take the leap.

[pickwickianmom]

I promise you that people get married for health insurance. It happens all the time. Newsweek, I think, did a story about it. I know people personally who married for health insurance when one person found out they were sick.

[LauraD]

That was a huge motivating factor in my marriage. We lived together, happily, and decided to get married for the legal benefits, which included health insurance (among other things, of course).

[ggfree]

Oh heavens! I think I found a friend! Thank you thank you thank you. Marriage IS a dinosaur. Never met one that looked appealing. Once marriage gives no perks in the way of taxes insurance etc, the true love fest will begin!!!!

[slaxx]

meh...i don't think marriage is for everybody and i think society has to stop treating people like pariahs if they aren't married or don't want to get married.

[C0Y0TE2]

Goes to show that marriage is a frivolity and that we take it much much too seriously.

I mean what is a marriage anyway? We can define marriage by that which destroys it: sexual fidelity. If one instance of infidelity can break a marriage, then marriage is defined by S E X.

Thus when the Ann Landers f.at faced replacement t.wins answer the question from a young woman whose husband is dying from a terminal disease, whether it is okay for her to find pleasure in another man's arms, the answer is a resounding NO!

Okay wait a minute here: marriage is defined by S E X. If a partner fails to please, or is not true, the marriage can be easily dissolved, according to the f.at-faced t.wins, yet failure of s e x is never a good enough reason to seek pleasure elsewhere without guilt and condemnation.

Why is America so hung up on S E X ???

[C0Y0TE2]

Goes to show that marriage is a frivolity and that we take it much much too seriously.

I mean what is a marriage anyway? We can define marriage by that which destroys it: sexual fidelity. If one instance of infidelity can break a marriage, then marriage is defined by S E X.

Thus when the Ann Landers f.at faced replacement twins answer the question from a young woman whose husband is d.ying from a terminal disease, whether it is okay for her to find pleasure in another man's arms, the answer is a resounding NO!

Okay wait a minute here: marriage is defined by S E X. If a partner fails to please, or is not true, the marriage can be easily dissolved, according to the f.at-faced twins, yet failure of s e x is never a good enough reason to seek pleasure elsewhere without guilt and condemnation.

Why is America so hung up on S E X ???

[omo]

Um, historically, sex between opposite gender partners usually resulted in conception. Marriage was a way to both provide for the offspring and for said offspring to (hopefully) know who their father was.
Children deserve to know who their biological parents are. Look how screwed up the human race itself is because we really do not know who our biological parents (esp. the father) are / were.

Things have changed but there is still much to be said for the power of fidelity on an energetic level.
Perhaps more power than ever in some ways. Someday we will have a better understanding of the protective effect on both physical and energetic level of fidelity where biologically conceived children are involved.

Why, indeed, is America so hung up on S E X and so clueless when it comes to Making Love ?

[david43a]

Being a supporter of full equality for GLBT's and all other Americans...
and being Gay to boot....
I still say...
Marriage is a fine institution, for those who want to be institutionalized!

The lawyers just love it all!

[pickwickianmom]

Actually, many long-term same sex couples have all kinds of legal work done because they can't legally marry. They have to carefully consider estate issues, adoption decisions and so forth.

[UbiVeritas]

Please enlighten me: what extra rights would a gay couple get from marriage, that would not be available to them through a robust civil union?

[david43a]

Well, if all of the rights and benefits were the same...none really....
Will they be?

[planetjeffy]

1. The right to be married
2. The right to get divorced

[david43a]

LOL! exactly!

[TLV]

...and robust civil unions are available where?

[MarkInIrvine]

lots of legal benefits (and some burdens):

the right to inherit by state intestate law
hospital visitation rights
tax benefits (and burdens)
community property law rights (in states that have community property law)
spousal support in the event of dissolution
first dibs on un-eaten left-overs from really good restaurants

stuff like that ...

[Strepsi]

Every year thousands of Americans marry foreign-born spouses and those spouses become citizens. Meanwhile right now thousands of Americans have spouses with NO federal legal standing, because marriage is the only institution recognized by Immigration (Federal). Some of these couples have been together decades, yet a straight person can mail-order a bride! Injustice. Federal marriage equality i the ONLY way to give equality. Also: even gay people who are married in their state have to LIE on Federal Income tax forms as their union is not recognized. McCain AND Obama's positions are wrong: Federal equal rights, not this state-by-state injustice.

[Teach For Equality]

Agreed. Case in point: my friend's partner is a Canadian citizen and his work visa expired in the US. So for them to stay together, their only option was to move to a country where same-sex marriage is legal. So now they're living in Vancouver. If they were straight, they could have stayed in Chicago where they both had jobs and wanted to be in the first place.

I'm not sure how common this is, but it's an illustration of how the inequality directly affects people's lives.