Voiding Bay State Marriages

[Ian David]

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

If fate or incident inspires you and your spouse to move your same-sex marriage from Massachusetts, what sounds better than the Equality State? Think again.

Well, Wyoming was the first state to enact women's suffrage (1869). Cynics say they did that to help ensure their statehood and since that they haven't had much to brag about in terms of equality. In fairness (in both senses), they have only smatterings of non-whites, about 3% Native American and 1% African American. Its demographics look like a Western New Hampshire with even fewer Latinos (about 6%). Their idea of equality is occasionally electing female legislators.

Flash forward to the new, devolved Wyoming, the one that may void Massachusetts marriages. Putting the lie to their epithet, they are considering a bill (SF0013) that reads:

AN ACT relating to domestic relations; creating an exception to the provision that all marriages validly contracted outside of this state are valid in Wyoming; providing that marriages between persons of the same sex are void; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming: Section 1. W.S. 20-1-111 and 20-2-101(a) by creating
a new paragraph (iv) are amended to read:

12 20-1-111. Foreign marriages. All marriage contracts which are valid by the laws of the state or country in which contracted are valid in this state, except marriages when the persons are of the same sex.

20-2-101. Void and voidable marriages defined; annulments.

(a) Marriages contracted in Wyoming are void without any decree of divorce: (iv) When the persons are of the same sex.

Section 2. This act is effective July 1, 2007.

Lest you think you are misreading, yes, this mean-spirited, anti-equality, overkill bill would go far beyond not recognizing legal same-sex marriages. It would void them without any other legal action, such as divorce or annulment.

Consider now:

More:
http://massmarrier.blogspot.com/2007/01/voiding-bay-state-marriages.html

[nealmhughes]

1. Are they setting themselves up for a constitutionality challenge on both ex post facto and

denial of "full faith and credit" clauses?

[BR_Parkway]

2. So they become the capital for GBLT divorce? One partner moves

there and the marriage is instantly dissolved? No legal division of the assets?

Why is Wyoming trying to attract so many gays and lesbians by passing this bill?
:sarcasm: