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First Same-Sex Couple Legally Wed in L.A. Are Divorcing
Married couple Diane Olson and Robin Tyler, who brought forward the lawsuit that led to gay marriage being legalized in 2008. (Tom Andrews/LAist)
Gay or straight, when a marriage isn't working, divorce is one of a couple's options. Now, in the wake of yesterday's Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that a ban on same-sex marriage in California is unconstitutional, the first couple legally wed in Los Angeles in 2008 are getting divorced.
Robin Tyler and Diane Olson are considered to be the "poster people" of gay marriage. They have crusaded publicly for same-sex marriage rites and in opposition of Proposition 8, and now they are poised to take part in one of the sides of marriage that heterosexual couples have the right to--for lack of a better word--enjoy: Legal dissolution.
Tyler filed for divorce on January 25, reports NBCLA, who spoke with Tyler. The couple had known each other for 40 years, and had been in a relationship for 18 years, however their "marriage ran its course."
Olson and Tyler, having sought a marriage license for seven years, were the first same-sex couple married in Los Angeles County in June 2008 when such marriages were made legal. It was a high-profile event, attended by many well-known figures, including lawyer Gloria Allred and County Board of Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.
However, their marital troubles were just like any other couple's, reflects Tyler. And in according same sex couples the same civil rights as heterosexual couples, the same standards should be applied to their relationships, including if it is not a successful pairing over time, explains Tyler:
"What is the standard to expect when you integrate equality," Tyler asked. "We're just like anybody else and that's all they can expect of us."
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