Same-Sex Divorce (H 7752, S 2337)

Paradoxically, while Rhode Island continues to deny same-sex couples the right to marry, the state also prevents couples legally married in other states from divorcing.  Same-sex couples who wish to divorce are stranded in an emotional, legal, and financial limbo no other couples – even those whose marriages are clearly void under the law such as in cases of bigamy and incest – must face.  ACLU legislation sponsored sought to allow all married couples, regardless of whether their marriage was legal in the state of Rhode Island at the time it was performed, to divorce.  Unfortunately, the bill died in both the House and Senate committees.