My civil partner wants to annul our civil partnership and I don't. What should I do?

In Western cultures you cannot force a person to stay married to you or to stay in a civil partnership. Your only option is to convince your partner to attend counseling in order to determine the reasons for their desire to leave and determine if the relationship can be saved. Otherwise, your partner is free to go.

The procedure depends on the laws of the state where you want to dissolve the union. If your jurisdiction recognizes civil unions or domestic partnerships then it will have dissolution laws, too. If you were registered in one state and moved to another you will need to check the laws of the state you are presently domiciled. Keep in mind that state laws regarding civil unions differ and they have different procedures for dissolution.

Annulment is the legal process a couple goes through to have their marriage declared null and void. In the case of same-sex civil unions, annulment laws follow the same guidelines for these unions as they do with traditional marriages, for the most part. However, some states do not recognize same-sex unions, and therefore will not grant annulments to such unions. For same sex legally recognized relationships you must check the laws in your jurisdiction.

Grounds for annulment vary by jurisdiction but generally include the following:

• lack of legal capacity
• force or threat
• under age of consent
• consanguinity- too closely related
• impotency not disclosed before marriage
• fraud
• marriage never consummated
• duress, insanity
• being under the influence of alcohol or drugs