Colorado Allows First Gay Divorce

Colorado's first gay divorce was finalized Monday, marking a precedent for gay and lesbian couples who were married in other states but reside in Colorado.

Juli Yim and Lorelei Jones married in 2009 in Massachusetts. However Yim said their relationship went sour quickly. After reconnecting with childhood friend Suzie Calvin, the two are now engaged. They plan to get married next year either in another state, or in Colorado if the marriage equality ban is lifted.

"In a way, it's not necessarily a great thing to be celebrating," Yim said to the Coloradoan. "By the same token, I have been trying for years to take care of this but have not had an opportunity to live in a state that allowed that."

The new civil union law treats same-sex marriages performed outside of the state just as a heterosexual couple's marriage. The law requires that new residents must wait 90 days before filing for divorce. Yim and Jones's legal split was the first of seven, so far, to have been filed in Colorado among gay and lesbian couples after the new law went into effect on May 1.