In early 2015, marriage between same-sex partners seemed to be on the verge of becoming legal. A decision from the U.S. Supreme Court was on its way in Obergefell v. Hodges, buoyed by the support for the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage by a large portion of the country. Then on June 26 came the declaration that same-sex marriages were not only legal but also the laws which prohibited them were declared unconstitutional.
The Obergefell decision opened the door to a rush of same-sex couples flooding courthouses with marriage license applications. There was also an immediate surge in the number of divorce filings by couples who had married in other states where same-sex unions had been legal for years. Once they moved to Texas, they found themselves stuck together in holy matrimony long after traditional marriages would have ended in divorce. For prisoners of a government which would not recognize their marriage, divorce simply was not an option. To a great degree, for these couples, Obergefell was a relief.
