In what many consider to be a landmark separation and child custody battle, Melissa Etheridge and former domestic partner/fiancee Tammy Lynn Michaels have settled their custody and support battle in child custody mediation. In April of 2010, the couple announced their breakup, and so began a publicly contentious separation and child custody battle. Many commentators have used this bitter dispute as an example that gay and lesbian couples face many of the same issues as heterosexual couples.

A Brief History Leading ME and Tammy to Civil Mediation

They solidifed their partnership in a lavish commitment ceremony in 2003. On October 16, 2006, Tammy Lynn Michaels gave birth to twin children conceived by an anonymous sperm donor. They announced their intent to marry in 2008 after California's ban on gay marriage was overturned in court. This intent was shot down by Proposition 8. For many, this union served as an inspiration for the validity of gay marriage, as they were apparently happily “in the family way” for 5 years at this juncture.

In late 2009, clues that they were not quite a happy family began to surface. In April of 2010, the two officially broke up. The separation took place over the month of July, with Etheridge asking for joint custody. Michaels countered by seeking sole custody, alimony and child support. The judge awarded joint custody, shot down Michaels' request for $50,000 per month for child support, and awarded her $23,000 per month.

The Nature of the Bitter Mediation Services

In April of 2012, Michaels filed a brief claiming that she could not live on the $23,000 per month award. The basis for her claim was that while she lived with Ms. Etheridge, she had become accustomed to a budget of $128,000 a month, and that the current budget was too extreme of a change in her lifestyle.

On Melissa Etheridge's side, she filed to gain time with the children and requested a court order to create non-smoking environments around the twins. She claimed that Ms. Michaels is trying to “dial down” her time with the children and had accidentally burned one of them with a cigarette.

While the results of the child custody mediation have not been released, it is currently apparent that the two parties still share joint custody, and that the child support is substantially higher than the previous $23,000.