Ohio Gay Couple Married in NYC – File for Divorce

COLUMBUS OHIO hears their first gay divorce case.

Two Columbus men married in New York were granted a divorce by a private judge appointed by
Franklin County Domestic Relations Court.

Jonathan E. Baize, 31, and Stephen J. Wissman, 31, were granted a divorce last week by Judge
Donald A. Cox after a 10-minute, “unremarkable” hearing, said attorney Thomas J. Addesa. He
represented only Baize in the case.

Baize and Wissman were married in New York on Sept.1 last year, but later agreed to divorce.

It is one of the first cases of a same-sex divorce approved in Ohio since gay marriage was
barred by a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2004. The amendment defines marriage as
solely between one man and one woman.

The Ohio Campaign to Protect Marriage, the group that spearheaded the effort to pass the
constitutional ban, filed a legal brief in the case. However, there is no indication that the judge
considered the group’s argument, Addesa said.

READ  MORE  AT  COLUMBUS DISPATCH

(Photo   Jeffrey Hamiliton)

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