What is the state of gay marriage the US? - USAFacts

Contents:

• GAY MARRIAGE BY STATE [UPDATED JULY 2023]
• STATE-BY-STATE HISTORY OF BANNG AND LEGALIZG GAY MARRIAGE
• FACTBOX: LIST OF STAT THAT LEGALIZED GAY MARRIAGE
• WHAT IS THE STATE OF GAY MARRIAGE THE US?
• STAT ACROSS U.S. STILL CLG TO OUTDATED GAY MARRIAGE BANS
• GAY MARRIAGE

GAY MARRIAGE BY STATE [UPDATED JULY 2023]

Gay marriage, also known as same-sex marriage, is the marriage of people of the same sex or genr. Gay marriag ma progrs the 1980s, when Berkeley, California, pass the untry’s first domtic partnership law. California and Connecticut legalized gay marriage 2008, followed by Iowa, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

On November 6, 2012, Mae, Maryland, and Washgton beme the first stat to legalize gay marriage through a popular vote. Dpe this, not all stat are abidg and have enacted nstutnal or statutory bans on gay marriage known as “Defense of Marriage” acts. Supreme Court agreed to review a number of feral appeals urt cisns on same-sex marriage: one strikg down part of the feral Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which f marriage as a unn between a man and a woman, and another validatg California’s Proposn 8, a ballot measure passed 2008 that amend the state’s nstutn to ban gay marriage.

6, 2012, voters Mnota rejected an attempt to add language to the state’s nstutn banng gay marriage. Between the pol, a fierce battle is takg place ptg those who hope all gays and lbians, regardls of where they live, will soon have the right to marry agast those who believe that same-sex marriage is helpg to unrme heterosexual marriage, which they see as the foundatn of healthy fai. Circu Court of Appeals gave same-sex marriage supporters a big w when upheld a lower urt lg that a California referendum banng gay marriage (Proposn 8) was unnstutnal.

STATE-BY-STATE HISTORY OF BANNG AND LEGALIZG GAY MARRIAGE

In May 2012, Print Barack Obama announced that he favors the right of gay and lbian upl to marry, beg the first stg print to do so.

FACTBOX: LIST OF STAT THAT LEGALIZED GAY MARRIAGE

One of the natn’s largt and most important stat, New York, legalized same-sex marriage June 2011 and, as noted above, three addnal stat – Mae, Maryland and Washgton – legalized gay marriage 2012. After the New Jersey legislature Febary 2012 passed legislatn legalizg gay marriage, the state’s Republin ernor, Chris Christie, vetoed .

And May 2012, voters North Carola approved an amendment to the state’s nstutn banng gay marriage, makg North Carola the 30th state to have such lims wrten to s nstutn.

Most supporters of same-sex marriage ntend that gay and lbian upl should be treated no differently than their heterosexual unterparts and that they should be able to marry like anyone else. Allowg gay and lbian upl to wed, they ntend, will radilly refe marriage and further weaken at a time when the stutn is already ser trouble due to high divorce rat and a signifint and growg number of out-of-wedlock births. 1 Moreover, many predict that givg gay upl the right to marry will ultimately lead to grantg people polygamo and other nontradnal relatnships the right to marry as well.

WHAT IS THE STATE OF GAY MARRIAGE THE US?

While all laws legalizg same-sex marriage nta some nscience protectns allowg church and other relig groups to refe to marry gay and lbian upl, the legal ground is murkier for religly affiliated anizatns, such as hospals, schools and other social-service provirs, that may not want to grant benefs to the spoe of an employee a same-sex marriage or provi adoptn and other servic to a gay or lbian uple that are routely provid to heterosexual upl.

The Catholic Church, the Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats and many evangelil Christian groups, such as the Southern Baptist Conventn, have played a leadg role public opposn to gay marriage. Meanwhile, male Prottant church are wrtlg wh whether to orda gay clergy and perform same-sex weddg ceremoni. Ined, the ordatn and marriage of gay persons has been a growg wedge between the socially liberal and nservative wgs of the Epispal, Lutheran and Prbyterian church, leadg some nservative ngregatns – and even whole dc – to break away om their natnal church as they bee more open to gay clergy and gay marriage.

Gay and lbian Amerins have been llg for the right to marry, or at least to create more formalized relatnships, sce the 1960s, but same-sex marriage has only emerged as a natnal issue wh the last 20 years.

STAT ACROSS U.S. STILL CLG TO OUTDATED GAY MARRIAGE BANS

The spark that started the bate occurred Hawaii 1993, when the Hawaii Supreme Court led that an existg law banng same-sex marriage would be unnstutnal unls the state ernment uld show that had a pellg reason for discrimatg agast gay and lbian upl. Even though this cisn did not immediately lead to the legalizatn of gay marriage that state (the se was sent back to a lower urt for further nsiratn and Hawaiian voters ultimately approved a referendum leavg the issue the hands of the state’s legislature), did spark a natnwi backlash. Amid wispread efforts many stat to prevent same-sex marriage, there was at least one notable victory for gay-rights advot durg this perd.

GAY MARRIAGE

In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court led that gay and lbian upl were entled to all the rights and protectns associated wh marriage. The followg year, the legislature approved a bill grantg gay and lbian upl the right to form civil unns, which grant most of the legal rights of marriage but not the tle.

But the issue was sudnly tapulted back to the headl November 2003, when the hight state urt Massachetts led that the state’s nstutn guaranteed gay and lbian upl the right to marry.

While the proposed nstutnal amendment failed, opponents of gay marriage had better luck at the state level. Fifteen addnal stat took the same step between 2005 and 2012, brgg the total number of stat wh gay marriage bans their nstutns to 30.