Which states is gay marriage legal

The first lawsuits involving same-sex marriage, also called gay marriage , started in the s, bringing the question of civil marriage rights for same-sex couples to public attention. Many of these lawsuits were unsuccessful. Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon become the first gay couple to marry and receive official recognition after being together for 50 years. On May 17, , Massachusetts became the first state and sixth jurisdiction in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.

Other states quickly followed, with Virginia , Arizona and Oklahoma passing similar laws in , and Florida , California , Wyoming and Utah doing so in That ruling prompted state and federal lawmakers to take action.

Utah was first to enact a statutory ban in response to that decision in , and then a year later, Congress passed the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman. In , Hawaii became the first state to pass a constitutional amendment specifically targeting same-sex marriage. The measure empowered the legislature to enact a ban, which it did that same year through a constitutional referendum.

Ultimately, 30 more states adopted constitutional amendments prohibiting gay marriage. While the Obergefell v.

Hodges decision overrides all of those state measures, many of them, particularly the state constitutional amendments, remain on the books for one reason or another. In some cases, there is a lack of political willingness to remove them, while in others, the labor-intensive removal process makes them a low priority. This is because amendments must pass both the state Senate and House of Delegates and be approved by Virginia voters. Any constitutional amendment in Nevada requires such a statewide vote.

Sheena Kadi, One Colorado. Even after Obergefell, there have been a number of instances over the past five years where state and local officials have refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Just a few months after the ruling, a Kentucky county clerk, Kim Davis , garnered national attention for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In November , South Africa's highest court ruled that the country's marriage statutes were in violation of the Constitution's equal rights protections and gave the government one year to amend the legal definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.

On Nov. In , same-sex couples in Norway were granted the right to civil unions. Fifteen years later, the government replaced this ruling with a new law allowing same-sex couples to marry, adopt children, and undergo state-funded artificial insemination. The law went into effect the first day of In , the Lutheran Church of Norway, to which nearly three quarters of Norwegians belong, adopted gender-neutral wording that would allow its pastors to conduct same-sex marriages.

Same-sex couples in Sweden could register for civil unions as early as , but in April the Swedish Parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage in both religious and civil ceremonies. Though the law does not require churches to officiate, the Lutheran Church of Sweden voted in October to allow its clergy to conduct same-sex marriages.

Adoption rights had already been granted to same-sex couples in , as well as artificial insemination rights in The Portuguese Parliament passed a law allowing same-sex marriage in early After review by the Constitutional Court, the law was signed in May and went into effect in June The law did not grant adoption rights to same-sex couples, however, and it wasn't until — after four rounds of parliamentary votes — that a law allowing adoption was passed. The law also improved access to artificial insemination.

The vote to apply gender-neutral language to Iceland's definition of marriage passed unanimously in Parliament in June The country's Prime Minister at the time, Social Democrat Johanna Sigurdardottir, was the first openly gay head of state in the world, and soon after the bill passed she married her long-time partner in one of the first same-sex marriages in Iceland.

After hours of debate, Argentina's Senate narrowly passed a bill granting same-sex couples the right to marry, making it the first country in Latin America to do so. The bill also granted the right to adopt children. The Catholic and evangelical Protestant churches vehemently protested the bill. Denmark, the first country in the world to allow same-sex couples the right to register as domestic partners in , began allowing registered same-sex couples to adopt children in Florida and Arizona voters do the same.

Vermont's legislature legalizes same-sex marriages. Maine and New Hampshire follow suit, though Maine voters later repeal the state law allowing same-sex marriage.

New York legalizes same-sex marriage. Washington state, Maine, and Maryland legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote. It also decides the Prop 8 defenders lack standing, clearing the way for same-sex unions to be legalized in California. The IRS recognizes same-sex married couples. Utah's same-sex marriage ban is found unconstitutional. The Presbyterian church votes to allow same-sex ceremonies.

Supreme Court makes same-sex marriages legal in all 50 states in Obergefell v. These guides may be used for educational purposes, as long as proper credit is given.