Al and Tipper Gore to Separate

Former vice president Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, have decided to separate after 40 years of marriage.

The Associated Press reported on the split Tuesday afternoon.

"According to an e-mail circulated among the couple's friends and obtained by the Associated Press on Tuesday, the Gores said it was 'a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration,'" the AP reported.

Vice President Gore won an Oscar for his documentary on climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, after he lost the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush. He and Tipper have been strong advocates for LGBT rights, with Tipper actively campaigning against Proposition 8 in California and both expressing their support for marriage equality. The former vice president announced his support for marriage equality in a video posted by his Current TV in January 2008. Watch it below.

Tipper Gore is a longtime friend of furniture designers Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams and has been involved in their gay rights efforts. She is a member of the honorary council of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.