If you are an adult, you lived in a time when gay marriage was not the law of the land. Beginning even before the protests at the Stonewall bar, LGBT Americans fought for equal protection under the law. After years of hard work, the U.S. Supreme Court held that same-sex couples have a fundamental right to marry.
Whether you went to the courthouse or had a huge ceremony with family and friends, your marriage was a special day. Perhaps, given the struggles of the LGBT community, your nuptials were even more meaningful than they are for heterosexual couples. As such, if your marriage is heading for divorce, you may not only feel you have failed as a spouse, but also that you have let down the gay rights movement.
Your situation is unique
You have probably heard the statistics on divorce. According to estimates, the divorce rate in the United States is roughly 3.2 per 1,000 individuals. While divorce is far from rare, it is likely a unique experience for you. Remember, only you and your spouse can decide when and how to dissolve your marriage. Rather than worry about the LGBT movement or other couples, you must focus on your own situation.
You have legal options
If you have a legal marriage, you can likely take full advantage of Wisconsin’s divorce laws. You can also negotiate with your spouse to be sure you receive your fair share of marital property. Put simply, the fact that you are in a same-sex marriage should not affect your rights and responsibilities under the law.
The fight continues
Everywhere you look, you can probably identify areas of inequality for LGBT Americans. You must not, though, make more out of your divorce than it already is. That is, the dissolution of your marriage does not reflect poorly on the gay rights movement. On the contrary, it is merely a milestone in your life that you must address. If you choose, regardless of your marital status, you can continue the fight for equality.
When going through a divorce, you are apt to feel a variety of emotions. You should not carry the weight of the LGBT equality movement on your shoulders, though. By focusing on yourself and your divorce, you can likely reach an acceptable outcome without unfairly bearing responsibility for the gay rights movement.
