17 September 2023 , 18:58
883
0
A supportive husband has revealed he and his wife are getting a divorce after nine years of marriage, sharing that "she's accepted she's queer and not attracted to men."
Andrew Pantazi, Editor of the Tributari in Jacksonville, Florida, took to the X platform - formerly known as Twitter - to share the news about his divorce from wife Lauren. The post has since gone viral since it was initially posted on Saturday. Despite the chapter of their life coming to a close, Andrew was extremely forthcoming about his optimism in the next chapter of each of their lives.
He said: "Life update: I’m getting divorced. After nine years married, Lauren has accepted she's queer and not attracted to men."
He added: We remain best friends and co-parents, even as we start dating others."
The post has more than 2.1million views and has been liked over 20k times. "I'm awed by her newfound happiness. Burdens that we didn't know existed have lifted for her," he added.
'I'm spending £20k on a new bathroom - but won't help my brother out with cash'
For all the latest news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US
Andrew included several photos of the pair throughout their time together in the post and the following one. The pair share two kids together, based on the social media post. The father then further shared details about their story.
"Our love is reborn as friendship," he continued. "Past marital struggles now make sense, and we're more in sync than ever. We’re eager to support each other's journeys. Our care for one another deepens as friends. We are both happy to love each other in a new way."
Many took to the post to congratulate the pair, especially to their ability to remain friends to co-parent their kids. " I’m so glad that you two can still be friends," said Dr Raven Baxter. "Even when you try to take the mature way out some people still find a way to vilify their partner. It doesn’t have to be that way. Best wishes to you two!"
Another user, Jason P Laz, said: "This is beautiful. Kudos to both of you for handling this with grace and love! What an example for your kids (and everyone, really)!"
Divorces are fairly common in the United States but not as much as one might believe. According to statistics reported by Forbes Advisor, 689,308 divorces occurred across the 45 states that report this statistics in 2021. That same year, 1,985,072 marriages occurred - making the US marriage rate for divorce six per 1,000 people.
However, the average length of a marriage prior to divorce is eight years - just one shy of how long Andrew and Lauren had been married.
Divorces can also be lengthy if contested, usually taking over a year to finalise. Simple divorces, nevertheless, can be completed quickly in three months. 75 per cent of divorces end because of lack of commitment, according to the data.