Does adultery include an extra-marital same-sex relationship?
No Maryland appellate court has tackled this question in a reported decision. So far, “adultery” as used in Maryland’s divorce law has meant voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a partner other than the married person’s spouse. Intercourse, which means penetration of the vagina by the penis, does not occur between same-sex partners. Thus, same-sex intimate conduct may not be classified as adultery. However, such conduct may amount to constructive desertion, discussed below.
