Breaking up is hard for everyone, but especially for same-sex couples. In a same-sex divorce the partners do not have the same support from families and friends that heterosexuals do. They are not welcome in the legal system of many states. This presents a complex issue when deciding the partners’ child custody and visitation rights.
Because same-sex marriages are not legal in all states, in those states that it is not, gay and lesbian couples cannot dissolve their relationships in the family courts. This leaves them only one option: the general civil court. In the general civil court, same-sex couples will have to handle their affairs before judges not trained in family matters, but in contracts and business law. This is the way their relationship will be treated, as the dissolution of a partnership. How will this affect the children involved?