Rocker Melissa Etheridge has said she
wants the right to marry so she can get divorced.
Last April, Etheridge split from Tammy
Lynn Michaels, her partner of 9 years. In separate filings to end
their California domestic partnership, each claim “irreconcilable
differences.” Etheridge is asking the court for joint custody of
the couple's twin 4-year-old children, son Miller and daughter
Johnnie Rose. Michaels, who gave birth to the twins, says she wants
full custody of the children with visitation rights for Etheridge.
Michaels claims in her filing that the
pair were married, which Etheridge has denied.
In an interview with Australia's The
Daily Telegraph, Etheridge noted her own circumstance in
calling on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to support marriage equality.
“It's not so much that I want to get
married, as I want to get divorced,” Etheridge said.
“It's kind of ridiculous that we are
completely contributing citizens and in this day and age, we all
understand that this notion of right or wrong or sinful really has no
place in our civil rights for people.”
“So I think it is good for any
nation, any country to embrace all of its people and all of the
inalienable rights in all of us because that is the only way we are
going to find any peace in our world is if we embrace all the
differences,” she added.