Welcome to our Nightmare

October 6, 2009

Martina Navratilova is learning, the hard way, about what its really like to be a straight guy – she’s going through a nasty “divorce” with her ex “partner,” Toni Layton. While the pair were never married, Layton is pursuing a novel claim, describing their relationship as a business partnership. Layton, who never made millions as the greatest female tennis player in the world and who was not even together with Martina until 2000 when Martina was 44 and well past her tennis prime, is nonetheless asking for millions, claiming, among other things, that she provided Martina with “criticism.” The story is being reported at http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/civil/article1041401.ece.

At first glance, the suit would seem to have few possible negative implications for guys. After all, a high-profile “divorce” among girls, even a divorce apparently not accompanied by the usual domestic violence between them, takes some of the gloss off lesbianism, undoubtedly driving at least some girls, somewhere back to guys. However, it is the “criticism” theory that should raise our antennas.

Imagine if, in an opposite-sex divorce, a divorcing wife could claim that she should accrue extra property and alimony as a result of her providing the husband with criticism. Not only would this result in astronomical liability for hen-pecked husbands, but it would create a tremendous incentive for wives to pile even more criticism on. Wives won’t just be criticizing husbands more, they’ll be doing so publicly so there are witnesses, in front of friends, bosses, co-workers, and subordinates, and they’ll be documenting it, in emails, in commentaries on websites, and in videos on YouTube. They’ll be sending out press releases. Husbands will be excoriated and shamed wherever they go, while the divorce cash register goes ka-ching.

Toni Layton (no, its not Martina, though they look awfully alike).

The case is being litigated in Sarasota, Florida. In order to protect the interests of guys everywhere, Guyinism is considering filing an amicus curiae brief to urge the court not to give Layton monetary credit for heaping criticism on Martina.

And, to answer your question, Layton specifically claims in the lawsuit to own or co-own at least some of the couple’s ”power tools.”

Click on pen to