Melissa Etheridge Announces Engagement Following DOMA Defeat

Folk singer-songwriter and lesbian activist Melissa Etheridge wasted no time announcing her engagement to her girlfriend of three years, TV producer Linda Wallem in the wake of the historic Supreme Court ruling against the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8 which would have kept same-sex couples from claiming federal benefits. The ruling also paves the way for legalization of gay marriage in California.

Wallem is a producer on TV shows Nurse Jackie and Whitney, and has had several small acting roles including a waitress in Sleepless in Seattle and another waitress in an episode of Seinfeld. She has been dating Etheridge since 2010 following Etheridge’s ugly split with her former partner Tammy Lynn Michaels. Etheridge and Michaels share joint custody of six year old twins Johnnie Rose and Miller Steven. In a bizarre turn of events, Michaels was awarded rights to 50% of the royalties for Etheridge’s album The Awakening and for several songs, along with $23,000 a month in child and spousal support.

Wallem went through her own controversial split with Liz Brixius. The two were a couple prior to becoming co-creators and show runners on Nurse Jackie. When they stopped getting along, the friction between them led to both ladies departing from the show and placed the series’ fifth season in jeopardy.

But Wallem and Etheridge are putting all that behind them to proceed with wedding plans. Etheridge tweeted on Wednesday “I look forward to exercising my American civil liberties… and getting fully, completely married this year to my true love of over three years, Linda Wallem.”

Etheridge was overflowing with good feelings as she did a phone interview with CNN yesterday. “I called my now fiancée. I’m looking forward to marrying my partner of three years we’ve been together. I’m going to get married in the state of California. I woke (the kids) up this morning telling them the Supreme Court ruling on DOMA… I love everybody out there. It’s a great day.”

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