Gay Divorce In Ohio

Legal questions are being raised after an Ohio gay couple was granted a divorce there after marrying in New York state.

Jonathan E. Baize, 31, and Stephen J. Wissman, 31, were granted a divorce last week by Judge Donald A. Cox after a 10-minute, “unremarkable” hearing, said attorney Thomas J. Addesa. He represented only Baize in the case. Baize and Wissman were married in New York on Sept.1 last year, but later agreed to divorce. It is one of the first cases of a same-sex divorce approved in Ohio since gay marriage was barred by a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2004. The amendment defines marriage as solely between one man and one woman. The Ohio Campaign to Protect Marriage, the group that spearheaded the effort to pass the constitutional ban, filed a legal brief in the case. However, there is no indication that the judge considered the group’s argument, Addesa said.

The anti-gay group argues that the divorce cannot be valid because that would be an implicit admission that the marriage was too. (Tipped by JMG reader Gus)