Now that Melissa Etheridge is ending her nine year relationship with partner Tammy Lynn Michaels, the two are in court fighting over custody, visitation, and support rights of their twin (birthed by Michaels) as well as a division of property and attorney’s fees. You see, the two got married in Malibu, California on September 20, 2003 but seeing as gay marriage wasn’t legal in California then 2003, Etheridge is now saying that their marriage was non-binding and that she doesn’t owe Michaels all the financial benefits that she would normally have if they were legally wed.
While Etheridge is legally and semantically within her right to call her marriage non-binding (and the state will almost certainly make their decision based on that), it’s pretty bullshitty of her to use semantics to help give her the edge in divorce court. She should fight for child custody rights based on the facts of her marriage, not be denying that said marriage ever existed.
By doing so she also runs the risk of re-confirming the anti-gay lie that LGBTs don’t actually want the rights and responsibilities of marriage but would rather just have the title and treat their partners however they like. She liked it. She put a ring on it. And now it’s time for Melissa Etheridge to own up to that and um… face the music.
Allen D.
Bitch.
Michael
I still can not get over how she treated Tammy it was absolutely heartless.
SteveC
Melissa Etheridge is cold.
Atlas
What a cunty dyke. Didn’t she break up with Michaels in a really shitty way, too? She could at least cut the girl a break.
ewe
She was always a rabid liar. Remember for years she said she never had to come out of the closet because everyone knew she was gay. Everyone is not her own private circle. She is a liar. LYING LIAR. Now she is contributing to making light of LGBT commitment.
ewe
She should fork over the money and go away once and for all.
Andy
Wow lots of people have opinions on stuff they know little about don’t they?
the crustybastard
If Etheridge is trying to weasel out of her parental responsibility, I hope Etheridge is denied shared custody and visitation.
If Baldwin is trying to deny Etheridge shared custody or visitation, I hope Etheridge is absolved of all parental responsibility.
Gays who dare to use institutional legal discrimination to their own advantage in a courtroom deserve to be publicly damned then utterly and irrevocably excommunicated.
timncguy
Martina Navratilova pulled the same “legal move” on her partner of many years to get of of paying her what she deserved.
ewe
@Andy: How would you know?
QJ201
It’s a total *sshat move and have any respect for Melissa. She better avoid the gay rights dinner fundraiser circuit and gay events for a while. Sadly, the same strategy has been pulled in other gay break ups that have made the news.
JEFFUWS
I hope this isn’t true, but if so, then she’s a hypocrite.
mikenola
alot of you folks really seem to be on a rampage about someone’s private life, like it was personal to you or something.
Facts are facts, divorces can be ugly.
How many of you would gladly give over 50% to a boyfriend or girlfriend when you broke up?
How many of you would gladly give millions of dollars to your ex, even though the ex has had more than enough opportunity to work and earn their own money but chose to stay at home because YOU could afford to let them?
How many of you actually know these two people and are in on all the gory details of their lives and the break up?
How much do you know about what Tammy is demanding from Melissa?
The answer to all four of those questions is absolute ZERO!
Now child support, shared custody and parenting issues are different, however this kerfuffle is about the adults and palimony. they are not legally married, I don’t care how much you whine about it… they are not married.
Frankly if I was the divorce judge I would make it so that any “support” over median income and necessities was put into a trust for the kids. Gay or Straight, the concept that the stay at home spouse is entitled to half of everything (kids or no kids) is abhorrent to me. You stay at home and do housework, you get back pay as a housekeeper, minus room and board and any benefits you earned like medical.
These celebrity divorces where the spouse demands millions to “maintain” a quality of life is bogus and insulting.
imarko
All’s fair in Love & War.
Cam
I became disgusted with her when she was telling everybody what a nice guy Pastor Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church was. An anti-gay church and he makes some small talk with him and suddenly is telling gay people the guy is a great guy. What an idiot. Bigots and homophobes don’t walk around wearing white hoods and shooting people. They can smile too. The way she is treating her ex just confirms my opinion of her.
Roger Rabbit
Ok, All may be fair in love and war, but these laws aren’t. IF she had been able to marry legally she would have owed Tammi NORMAL settlement.
Even the way she dumped Tammi was shitty…
I’m boycotting this bitch from now on.
Dave
I remember when she tried to avoid paying taxes and it’s not like she’s poor or has money problems.
A bisexual Transwoman I know who is a musician told me how she’s met Melissa Etheridge and how she’s a total “bottom” whatever that means? I guess she just lays there like a dead fish.
Riker
@Roger Rabbit: She *was* able to marry. There are tens of thousands of legally valid gay marriages in California. The couple could have obtained the legal ceremonies when it was legal to do so, and they decided against it. Ceremony or no ceremony, it wasn’t a marriage. Tammy is not entitled, legally or morally, to half of the fortune that Melissa worked hard for.
Michael
@Riker:
She is however ENTITLED to a little something called respect.Which Melissa has clearly failed at miserably shes treated Tammy as a doormat as if she was beneath her.No wonder they didn’t last Mellissas always had a diva attitude to begin with.Ive never heard anything bad about Tammy she always seemed down to earth compared to Melissa especially.
christopher di spirito
I loathe Melissa Etheridge.
Her BFF is anti-gay pastor Rick Warren of the Saddleback Mega Church fame. A few years ago, Missy Etheridge chirped about making chicken noodle soup for Warren and dashing it down to him on the 405 in her Mercedes. Puke.
hf2hvit
I’ve known a few Gay married couples (or in domestic partnerships) that when they break up, they’re just SHOCKED (SHOCKED! SHOCKED!) that they need to divorce and or have an attorney for some form of disillusion of relationship and/or distribution of assets. What a load of CRAP. We wanted gay marriage and gay divorce comes along with it.
You’re either making house or playing house.
hf2hvit
@christopher di spirito: PUKE! VOMIT! Maybe she should have a double date with Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson… PUKE! VOMIT! BARF! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALPH! ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP!
Hyhybt
@timncguy: I *thought* this story sounded familiar! Same play, new cast.
hoganbcmj
What is wrong with her? Melissa, you suck!
Roman
Unfortunately, Melissa has a history of hypocrisy and bad behavior that she’s been carrying around and inflicting on others – those poor kids. Her cruelty is a symptom of some ugly issues that she needs to deal with.
Lefty
What a CUNT.
Hyhybt
It’s sadly common for people to throw any ethics or morals they might otherwise have out the window when it comes to a breakup. Is this any worse than those who secretly clean out all their joint accounts before filing for divorce, or who make false accusations of abuse to gain leverage with the judge?
velocifero
Melissa is a fame whore. She famously used Stephanie Miller’s radio show, and Randi Rhodes, during the Prop 8 fight in 2008 and made herself into some official spokesperson. Then she divorced her wife and suddenly was not so pro-marriage. Remember when Etheridge did that press event at Saddleback church? She is no hero to the LGBT community. She went kicking and screaming out of the closet and then has since tried to use her access merely to promote her music. Its all about that hetero money for M.E.
SteveC
Well if Melissa refuses to pay a normal settlement to Tammy because they are not legally married, then Tammy should argue that Melissa not be allowed visitation to the children because Melissa is not legally the parent.
Although from what I’ve heard about Melissa Etheridge, this wouldn’t upset her. She seems cold as ice.
Jayme
They had the opten to legally marry and did not do so during that time. Tammy said she did not need a peice of paper on an interview and that was why she didn’t take advantage of the time they could legally wed in California so she chose to not be married.
M.E. has done so many wonderful things for our community and we don’t know all the details of their split and should respect their privacy.
Al
Boys boys.. calm the F- down! There might be a legal strategy to this.. I understand law and every American has a right to protect themselves however they “legally” can. There could be somethings we are unaware of in this case, I can think of many scenarios where one could be driven to do something like this, and its all part of a larger strategy we cannot see looking at only one part and not being privy to the case now the implications. Please wait for the book ! jeez..
Al
Boys boys.. calm the F- down! There might be a legal strategy to this.. I understand law and every American has a right to protect themselves however they “legally” can. There could be somethings we are unaware of in this case, I can think of many scenarios where one could be driven to do something like this, and its all part of a larger strategy we cannot see looking at only one part and not being privy to the case now the implications. Please wait for the book ! jeez..i’m sure it will all come out in the end.
lisa
How dare all of you talk about Melissa, I would be honored to meet her, and I think she is beautiful, I would love to meet her, and have drinks and dinner. How dare all of you to say these ugly things…….She is cute as helll….