Wave of divorce follows Massachusetts’ same-sex weddings

Boston, Mass., Dec 12, 2004 / 22:00 pm

Several same-sex couples in Massachusetts have begun seeking divorces less than seven months after they were given the legal right to marry.

The Associated Press reported that Hampshire County received a divorce filing within two months of its first same-sex wedding. The state’s largest county, Middlesex, received its first same-sex divorce case Dec. 2.

Suffolk County received its first same-sex divorce last week. A male couple, who exchanged vows on May 22 – five days after same-sex marriage was legalized – filed for a divorce Dec. 8.

The couple said in their divorce filing: "Our interests have grown in different directions." Each man signed a settlement attesting that the marriage had "irretrievably broken down."

The AP also reported that the exact number of same-sex couples seeking divorces and the finalization of these divorces is not clear since not all counties record the number of divorce filings from homosexuals.

Opponents of same-sex marriage say they’re not surprised and add that the divorces, occurring so soon after the legalization of same-sex marriage in the state, confirms that homosexual couples are not equipped for marriage.