Where is gay marriage legal by state
MAP Report: The National Patchwork of Marriage Laws Underneath Obergefell
Rebecca Farmer, Movement Advancement Project
rebecca@ | ext
As the Respect for Marriage Perform moves through Congress, MAP’s March report on the landscape of varying state marriage laws around the country is a resource. Blueprint researchers are ready to answer questions and our infographics are available for use.
MAP’s report, Underneath Obergefell, explores the patchwork of marriage laws around the state. The report highlights the fact that a majority of states still hold existing laws on the books that would ban marriage for same-sex couples – even though those laws are currently unenforceable under the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell.
If the U.S. Supreme Court were to revisit the Obergefell decision, the ability of gay couples to commit could again descend to the states, where a majority of states still have in place both bans in the law and in state constitutions.
The policy
Marriage Equality Around the World
The Human Rights Campaign tracks developments in the legal recognition of same-sex marriage around the world. Working through a worldwide network of HRC global alumni and partners, we lift up the voices of community, national and regional advocates and share tools, resources, and lessons learned to enable movements for marriage equality.
Current State of Marriage Equality
There are currently 38 countries where same-sex marriage is legal: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Uruguay.
These countries have legalized marriage equality through both legislation and court decisions.
Countries that Legalized Marriage Equality in
Liechtenstein: On May 16, , Liechtenstein's gove
Marriage & Relationship Recognition Laws
States with the freedom to marry act not ban same-sex couples from entering into legal marriages. Some states also offer comprehensive relationship recognition, such as domestic partnerships or civil unions, to same- and different-sex couples. However, most states still have constitutional amendments, statutes, or both banning marriage for same-sex 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 regulation (9 states + D.C.)
State has targeted religious exemption law (see note)
Citations & More Information
Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Marriage & Affair Recognition Laws." Accessed 07/23/
NOTE: Kansas pe
Date Same Sex Marriage Legalized By State
All 50 states in the United States have legalized gay marriage. Below are the dates when each state did so. On June 26, , the Supreme Court ruled that homosexual 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.
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