Do all 50 states allow gay marriage

The Journey to Marriage Equality in the United States

The road to nationwide marriage equality was a long one, spanning decades of United States history and culminating in victory in June Throughout the long clash for marriage equality, HRC was at the forefront.

Volunteer with HRC

From gathering supporters in small towns across the country to rallying in front of the Supreme Court of the United States, we gave our all to ensure every person, regardless of whom they love, is known equally under the law.

A Growing Call for Equality

Efforts to legalize same-sex marriage began to pop up across the country in the s, and with it challenges on the state and national levels. Civil unions for same-sex couples existed in many states but created a separate but equal standard. At the federal level, couples were denied access to more than 1, federal rights and responsibilities linked with the institution, as adv as those denied by their given state. The Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law in and defined marriage by the federal government as between a man and

Date Same Sex Marriage Legalized By State

All 50 states in the United States have legalized same-sex marriage. Below are the dates when each state did so. On June 26, , the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a right guaranteed by the Constitution, thus making same-sex marriage legal in the 13 states that have not legalized same-sex marriage up to that point.

By Date
Rank
State Name
Date Similar Sex Marriage Legalized
1
MassachusettsMay 17,
2
ConnecticutNovember 12,
3
IowaApril 24,
4
VermontSeptember 1,
5
New HampshireJanuary 1,
6
New YorkJuly 24,
7
WashingtonDecember 9,
8
MaineDecember 29,
9
MarylandJanuary 1,
10
CaliforniaJune 28,
11
DelawareJuly 1,
T
MinnesotaAugust 1,
T
Rhode IslandAugust 1,
14
New JerseyOctober 21,
15
HawaiiDecember 2,
16
New MexicoDecember 19,
17
OregonMay 19,
18
PennsylvaniaMay 20,
19
IllinoisJune 1,
T
IndianaOctober 6,
T
OklahomaOctober 6,

Marriage & Association Recognition Laws

States with the release to marry undertake not ban homosexual couples from entering into legal marriages. Some states also offer comprehensive connection recognition, such as domestic partnerships or civil unions, to same- and different-sex couples. However, most states still hold constitutional amendments, statutes, or both banning marriage for gay couples, even after the Supreme Court case Obergefell extended marriage equality nationwide. For more on the current status of state marriage laws, see MAP's report: Underneath Obergefell: A National Patchwork of Marriage Laws.

  • Marriage equality for same-sex couples(50 states , 5 territories + D.C.)

  • Comprehensive civil union or domestic partnership commandment (9 states + D.C.)

  • State has targeted religious exemption regulation (see note)


Citations & More Information

Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Venture. "Equality Maps: Marriage & Relationship Recognition Laws." Accessed 07/23/

NOTE: Kansas pe

Same-sex Marriage Laws

Is Same-Sex Marriage Legal in the Together States?

It was in June of that the Joined States Supreme Court dominated that same-sex marriage is a right in every state in the U.S. Currently, same-sex marriage is legal in all fifty states and Washington, D.C.

In , the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was enacted by the U.S. Congress. The Defense of Marriage Act proclaimed that only one dude and one woman could legally marry. Additionally, DOMA granted states the right to refuse to realize same-sex marriages that were performed in other states. This particular provision of DOMA was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in the cases of United States v. Windsor in and Obergefell v. Hodges in

Although the DOMA did not prohibit states from allowing same-sex marriages, it did not obligate them to recognize same-sex marriages from other states that did recognize same-sex marriage or allow them.

In , the United State Supreme Court ruled that DOMA violated the U.S. Constitution, and same-sex married partners were entitled to the matching rights and legal pr