Since the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2014, same-sex marriages have exploded. Indeed, this is the year that “civil partnerships” could also be converted to legal marriages, only increasing the numbers. But, as same-sex marriages exploded, so to now are same-sex divorces.
The numbers
By 2020, nearly 3,000 same-sex divorces occurred, which is beginning to mirror other countries that allowed same-sex marriages much early. Indeed, the Netherlands legalized same-sex marriage in 2005, and now, 15% of gay marriages fail, along with about 30% of lesbian marriages.
Reasons behind the uptick in divorces
According to anecdotal stories, some of the divorces are as a result of getting married too early. One spouse described the moment same-sex marriage became legal as a, “Why the hell not” moment to get married. After all, it had been denied for the entirety of their lives. Though, like their same-sex counterparts that have a much higher divorce rate, once the honeymoon phase was over, so too was the marriage.
Same-sex divorce is beginning to look a lot like heterosexual divorce
It really should come as no surprise that Los Angeles, California, same-sex marriages are meeting the same fate as heterosexual marriages in that their divorce rates are spiking. Though, even the idea of those rates spiking is not exactly an honest interpretation of the numbers. Really, same-sex divorce rates are simply trending toward heterosexual divorce rates. It is only because they started from zero less than 10 years ago that the numbers appear alarming.
A key takeaway
A key takeaway for our Los Angeles, California, readers is that no same-sex couple should feel guilty about wanting a divorce. When a marriage is at its end, it should be ended.