Can A Divorce Be Honored - When The Law Doesn't Honor The Marriage?

So two women meet and fall in love. They decide they want to build a life together and grow old together. They have a desire to marry but their type of marriage is not legal. Then the unthinkable happens. Massachusetts declares gay marriage legal and starts handing out marriage licenses to gay couples. It is a historic event.

These two women decide they want to get married and so they obtain a license from Massachusetts. They are happy and elated.

Now fast forward about 4 years down the road. Like many couples, gay or straight, they find that they have to end their relationship for one reason or another. Only this time they now face a different hurdle. For you see, they do not reside in Massachusetts...they live in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island has no law recognizing gay marriage and as a result they have no avenue to obtain a divorce in Rhode Island. Quite a dilemma indeed. What are they to do? It appears that their only option would be for one of them to move back to Massachusetts and live their long enough to qualify to obtain a divorce under Massachusetts's law...or...

They could challenge the law of Rhode Island to honor their divorce.

And there in lies the sticky nature of this dilemma.

Rhode Island law is silent on the legality of same-sex marriage. So the questions arise:

Does one state have to honor the same sex marriage license granted in another state?

Does one state have to honor and grant a divorce for a same-sex marriage license granted in another state?

Since Rhode Island law does not honor the same sex marriage license to begin with, then technically the state has no marriage to honor and in their eyes, the divorce is not needed... because a marriage never took place to begin with.

So it becomes a question of State's Rights...

Can the courts or the federal government force one state to honor something that its citizens might not want the state to honor?

It is an interesting question...an interesting dilemma...an interesting catch 22...

If Rhode Island honors the divorce, then they are actually agreeing that a marriage took place and therefore would indirectly be honoring and upholding gay marriage...which goes against what their law currently allows being that the law in Rhode Island is silent on the matter.

It will be interesting to see what Rhode Island's highest court decides...

Politcaly Typology - Where Do You Fall?

Here's an interesting website!

It's a project funded by The Pew Research Center.

The survey questions determine where a person fits into the different typology groups
that make up the two main political parties.

The website is www.people-press.org/fit

Here are my results:

Liberal

Based on your answers to the questionnaire, you most closely resemble survey respondents within the Liberal typology group. This does not mean that you necessarily fit every group characteristic or agree with the group on all issues.

Liberals represent 17% of the American public

Liberals represent 19% of registered voters.

Basic Description
This group has nearly doubled in proportion since 1999, Liberals now comprise the largest share of Democrats and is the single largest of the nine Typology groups. They are the most opposed to an assertive foreign policy, the most secular, and take the most liberal views on social issues such as homosexuality, abortion, and censorship. They differ from other Democratic groups in that they are strongly pro-environment and pro-immigration, issues which are more controversial among Conservative and Disadvantaged Democrats.

(Like anyone I do not fit all of these descriptions so take this as a generalization!)

Defining Values
Strongest preference for diplomacy over use of military force. Pro-choice, supportive of gay marriage and strongly favor environmental protection. Low participation in religious activities. Most sympathetic of any group to immigrants as well as labor unions, and most opposed to the anti-terrorism Patriot Act.

(I do attend church weekly, and I am not completely sympathetic to immigrants. They do need to be here legally!)

Who They Are
Most (62%) identify themselves as liberal. Predominantly white (83%), most highly educated group (49% have a college degree or more), and youngest group after Bystanders. Least religious group in typology: 43% report they seldom or never attend religious services; nearly a quarter (22%) are seculars. More than one-third never married (36%). Largest group residing in urban areas (42%) and in the western half the country (34%). Wealthiest Democratic group (41% earn at least $75,000).

Lifestyle Notes
Largest group to have been born (or whose parents were born) outside of the U.S. or Canada (20%). Least likely to report having a gun at home (23%) or attending bible study or prayer group meetings (13%).

2004 Election
Bush 2%, Kerry 81%

Party ID
59% Democrat; 40% Independent/No Preference, 1% Republican (92% Dem/Lean Dem)

Media Use
Liberals are second only to Enterprisers in following news about government and public affairs most of the time (60%). Liberals’ use of the internet to get news is the highest among all groups (37%).