Gays Can't Divorce

Even though divorce is common for the majority of people in the United States, there is a small portion of the population that finds it hard to get one. As we know only Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the District of Columbia allows gay marriage. But did you know that some states don’t allow married gay couples to get a divorce. Right now there are two couples in Texas fighting for the rights to a divorce. On April 21, 2010 the Seattle Times highlights the case of Angelique Naylor and Sabina Daly. These ladies got married in Massachusetts in 2004. They have joint property and a 4½ year old son. Naylor and Daly have been separated since 2007 but are still trying to figure out how to make it legal. It is important for them to be granted a divorce because of the legal aspects attached to a marriage. Naylor and Daly worked out the custody issue for their adopted son. Naylor and Daly don’t understand why it so difficult to get a divorce. Naylor says “we didn't ask for a marriage; we simply asked for the courtesy of divorce” (Nguyen). Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel for the conservative Liberty Institute in Plano, says "It's a backdoor run at establishing same-sex so-called marriage against the people's vote," Shackelford said. "Once you grant the divorce, you are recognizing that there was a marriage" (Nguyen). This meaning that the state of Texas doesn’t want to grant this divorce because it would say that gay marriage is acceptable.

I can imagine for this couple that right now is a very stressful time. Having a legal marriage means that they have all the same ties to the legal system and all the complications of splitting up their shared lives. I feel that the states that don’t allow divorces (and those that don’t allow gay marriages) are not treating these people like they are citizens. Just because these people’s views are different doesn’t mean they should be treated as aliens. This story really opened my eyes about the lesbian and gay fight. I knew they were having trouble getting married but I did not know the fight extended into divorce.

Resources:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011650595_apusgaydivorcetexas.html