When gay marriage was a hot button issue a few years ago, it was posited as such:
Either you’re “for” it, and on the good side of history, or “against” it, and on the wrong side of history.
This meme persisted.
But with gay marriage comes gay divorce, and all of a sudden that joint bank account and weekend in the Adirondacks doesn’t sound so glamorous after all.
Jane Lynch, known from Glee, recently divorced Dr. Lara Embry. The details have been made public, and they’re staggering.
Lynch has to give Embry, who is a professional psychologist and not exactly destitute, the following:
–a lump sum of $1.2 million, spaced over over a 2-year period
— half of several bank and trust accounts, totaling $847,485
— half of a 401K totaling $315,079
— half of the proceeds from their Mullholland Tennis Club membership
— half of all royalties from Jane’s TV appearances, including “Glee”
— half of their $56,810 tax refund
–L.A. Yacht club membership
–Francis the dog
This is simply because Lynch makes more from Glee than Embry does as a psychologist.
It would be understandable if both parties walked away with their assets from before the marriage and split joint assets in half.
But how are TV royalties in perpetuity half of the party’s assets?
Embry didn’t star on Glee, Lynch did, and they were married in 2010, while the show started airing in 2009.
Whoever makes the most has to give up half.
Is it fair?
Not exactly.
What incentive is there in a marriage to be a high earner when half of all marriages end in divorce?
If gay married couples experience divorce at the same rate as straight couples (and there’s no reason they shouldn’t, since marriages are supposed to be treated equally, right?) you’re going to see a lot more clamoring for divorce reform. Instead of the usual situation where men give up more in a divorce, on average, then women, it will be interesting to see how it plays out when both in the marriage are the same gender. There will likely be a lot more kept-man and kept-woman scenarios where younger gay men and women marry older gay men and women in profit-seeking arrangements.
It certainly that certificate from the state look a little less appealing.
