Main | Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Divorce For Mass.'s First Gay Marriage

The lesbian couple who were the lead plaintiffs in the case that brought marriage equality to Massachusetts is divorcing after four years.
The gay couple whose court battle led to the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts has filed for divorce. Hillary and Julie Goodridge, who share custody of their 12-year-old daughter, filed divorce papers in Suffolk Probate Court last week. “I wish I could talk them into staying together, but I don’t see how,” Hillary’s mother, Ann Kiernan Smith, told the Boston Herald. Smith did not offer a reason for the couple's divorce. The Goodridges’ landmark lawsuit led to a state Supreme Judicial Court ruling that made Massachusetts the first state to recognize same-sex marriage in 2003. The Goodridges were the lead plaintiffs in the case against the state, which argued for equal marriage rights regardless of sexual orientation. In a 4-3 decision, the court ruled that it was unconstitutional to allow only heterosexual couples to marry. The couple married in May 2004, on the day the Supreme Court’s ruling took effect. Neither Hillary Goodridge, 52, nor Julie Goodridge, 51, responded to requests for comment.
The Goodridges have been separated since 2006.

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