THE lesbian couple who pioneered gay marriage in America have split up, saying that their marital troubles show that they are no different from heterosexual partners.

Julie and Hillary Goodridge led the legal battle that forced Massachusetts to become the first state in the US to allow same-sex marriage. The two, who met 21 years ago at a Harvard University course on disinvestment in South Africa, became the public face of a loving, financially stable, committed same-sex couple.

As lead plaintiffs in the landmark case, they were featured in People magazine. Julie, 49, is president of an investment advisory firm, and Hillary, 50, is a grants manager for the Unitarian Universalist Association. The pair went to court after a hospital refused to allow Hillary to see Julie when she suffered complications during the birth of their daughter, now 10.

They wed in Boston on May 17, 2004, the first day of legal gay marriage in America. “Next to the birth of our daughter, Annie, this is the happiest day of our lives,” Julie said. Two years later, however, the couple have broken up. “Julie and Hillary Goodridge are amicably living apart,” Mary Breslauer, a spokeswoman, said.

A survey undertaken by the Boston Globe indicated that about 7,300 same-sex couples have obtained licences since gay marriage was legalised in Massachusetts, and about 45 have divorced. The news of the break-up comes as gay rights activists have suffered a series of setbacks in their campaign for same-sex marriage.

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