The Gay Divorcee is not just an old Fred Astaire musical. In Denmark, where homosexuals have been legally able to get hitched (and unhitched) since 1989, it's a modern reality. But despite stereotypes of gay relationships as short-lived, the divorce rate among Danish homosexuals is only 17 percent, compared to 46 percent for heterosexuals. Can gay Danes teach us something about lasting marital bliss?
One lesson may be to wait before tying the knot. Many of the gays and lesbians who've married had been in their relationships for years beforehand, notes Dorte Gottlieb, a Danish psychologist who studies homosexuality. They have also been older on average than newly married heterosexuals.
Another likely reason Danish gays and lesbians rarely divorce is that only those who are strongly motivated to marry do so, given society's disapproval of overt homosexuality. "It takes courage to marry and then live with information about your sexual orientation mentioned in your official documents," says Danish psychologist Vibeke Nissen, herself a married lesbian. Read more:
Why not allow gay marriage?
Dr. Brian Mustanski – November 28, 2008
Psychology Today
Arguments against same sex marriage not supported by evidence
Gay Marriage -> Restores “Hope of Love”
To Children In Early Childhood
Gay marriage - Sexual orientation
is less about sex and more about love, being one with another human being
Attachment Theory - LOVE & RELIGION
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