August 1 marked the one-year anniversary of the Minnesota law legalizing same-sex marriages. According to reports, Minnesota has issued approximately 3,885 marriage licenses to same-sex couples since the law was put into effect.
Despite the year long run of same-sex weddings, the political debate swirling around the new law is not over. Many pundits see voters in certain districts opposing candidates that took a stance on this issue that was contrary to the local base. Behind this public conversation over allowing same-sex couples to get married, though, many same-sex couples actually benefitted from the new law by getting a divorce.
While they did not make up a large portion of the population, there were some separated same-sex couples in Minnesota who had gotten married in states that allowed same-sex marriage. When they moved to Minnesota, however, they all of a sudden found themselves in a state that did not recognize their union. As a result, there was no way for them to legally get a divorce.
When the same-sex marriage law was enacted, however, a backlog of separated same-sex couples was finally able to officially end their marriage. This divorce process was no different than an opposite-sex divorce, with each divorcee having the ability to seek spousal support, along with a fair property settlement, from their former spouse.
Therefore, when it comes to the emergence of same-sex divorce in the state, local family law lawyers in St. Paul and surrounding areas were able to apply their knowledge to helping same-sex couples split. In fact, no matter the family dynamics, a local family law lawyer can help spouses get through a divorce in a way that promotes a successful future.
Source: The Republic, “Minnesota’s gay marriage reaches anniversary though political debate still smolders,” Aug. 1, 2014