MYTH.
The marriage was not legal. Everything else about this story is real.
Linda Ducharme is a Florida woman who identifies as objectum-sexual — a documented psychological orientation in which a person develops genuine romantic and emotional attachment to inanimate objects. Her partner of choice is a 70-foot SkyDiver carnival ride named Bruce. She has had a committed relationship with Bruce for years, celebrating anniversaries, hosting candlelit dinners beside the ride, and describing their dynamic as "an old married couple." She has also spent approximately $90,000 of her own money to restore Bruce after he fell into disrepair — an act of devotion that most humans would not extend to another human.
The ceremony was real. The legal status was not. HuffPost confirmed that Florida law requires both parties in a marriage to appear in person to apply for a license. There are very few government buildings with doors large enough to admit a 70-foot carnival ride. Bruce could not sign the paperwork. The marriage has no legal standing.
Linda's story was featured on TLC's My Strange Addiction, which is either the perfect platform for this story or a damning indictment of what counts as entertainment — possibly both. She is not alone in this orientation: other documented cases include a woman who married the Eiffel Tower and a man who declared his full romantic commitment to a Volkswagen Beetle he had owned for thirty years.
Discover Magazine noted in 2009 that Ducharme wasn't the only person to go public about love for an inanimate object — just one of the most committed.
Not legally married. But Bruce is fully restored, and Linda would like you to know the relationship is going extremely well.
