Love Is Love—And It Knows No Boundaries

Divorce has a funny way of shaking up everything we thought we knew—not just about marriage, but about relationships, identity, and even love itself.

Many of us come out of a divorce with a clearer sense of who we are. We also start to notice the stories we’ve absorbed over the years—about what love should look like, who it should be with, and how it should fit into the neat little boxes society tends to prefer.

But here’s the simple, powerful truth we learn when we let all of that go:

Love is love. It knows no race, religion, gender, orientation, or borders.

Love is a Human Right

At its core, love is the most natural and human of experiences. It is something every person deserves—and is capable of giving and receiving—without judgment or limitation.

Yet, for far too long, too many of us have been taught to filter love through the lens of what is “acceptable.”

Family, culture, religion, or media might shape that lens. We’re told that certain relationships are better or more valid than others, that love only counts if it fits a specific mold.

But this is simply not true. As many of us find in our post-divorce lives, true love often comes from the most unexpected places—sometimes places we were told to avoid or fear.

The Beauty of Differences

I’ve heard countless stories from fellow divorcees:

• Falling in love with someone of a different race, despite being raised in an environment where interracial relationships were discouraged.

• Finding a connection with a partner from a different religious tradition, creating a beautiful blend of beliefs, rituals, and respect.

• Realizing, after years of marriage to someone of the opposite gender, that your heart is drawn to someone of the same sex.

• Building a life with a partner whose gender identity or orientation challenges what you thought was possible.

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These stories aren’t exceptions. They’re reminders that love thrives when we open ourselves to another person's full humanity, not the labels they wear.

Reclaiming the Right to Love

After divorce, we often feel empowered to rebuild life on our terms. But reclaiming love—entirely and without apology—is one of the most critical pieces of that rebuilding process.

Too often, people hold back from pursuing love across race, religion, or orientation because of fear:

• What will my family say?

• Will my friends accept this?

• Will my kids understand?

• Will society judge us?

Here’s what matters most: Does this love bring you joy, peace, and growth? Does it honor who you are and who you want to become? Does it encourage you to love yourself and your partner fully?If the answer is yes, the rest is noise.

The Work of Unlearning

For those of us raised in environments where certain types of love were seen as “wrong” or “less than,” it takes time to unlearn these biases. But this is part of the critical work we can do for ourselves and the world we want to help shape for our children and communities.

Unlearning means:

• Listening to and learning from those who have lived in the margins of love

• Acknowledging our own biases and doing the work to dismantle them

• Speaking up when we see love being judged or diminished

• Modeling for others that love is a human right, not a privilege for only some

  
  

Love Is Courage

Choosing love—real, expansive, inclusive love—is an act of courage and defiance in a world that still clings to old, harmful ideas about who should be allowed to love whom.

But more than that, it is an act of hope. Every time we choose love that transcends boundaries, we create space for others to do the same. We model what is possible. We remind the world that the heart is the best guide we have—and it cannot be contained by fear, prejudice, or outdated norms.

So, Divorcee Dish readers—whether you are newly divorced, exploring love again, or still healing—carry this truth with you:

Love is love—no matter your skin color, no matter your religion, no matter your gender or orientation.

You deserve a love that sees and honors your full humanity. And you deserve to give that same love in return.

The more we embrace this truth, the more we create a world where everyone can love freely, without shame or judgment.

And in that world? There is more joy, connection, belonging, and hope for us all.

Embrace it and let yourself feel it!