Gay marriage in all 50 states

Is same sex marriage legal in all 50 states?

For decades, one of the main objectives of the LGBT rights movements has been the approval of the same sex marriage, so that everyone can wed freely with the person of thier choice, without any kind of prejudice. 

Although it is basically a right to which everyone has had access since ancient Greece and even before, it is also a right that has been prohibited in many countries around the world for same-sex couples, denying them the opportunity to legally formalize their relationship. 

In the case of the United States, after years of advocacy and on the part of the different fronts and movements in favor of gay rights, little by petite the states were approving and identifying same sex unions, until , when same sex marriage finally became legal in all 50 states of the country. 

Nevertheless, in the world there are still many countries where same sex marriage is illegal, and even punishable by severe penalties. If you reside in one of these places, or feel that in your country your life is in danger because of your sexual orient

The Journey to Marriage Equality in the Merged 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 fight 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 Joined States, we gave our all to ensure every person, regardless of whom they love, is established 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 homosexual couples existed in many states but created a separate but equal typical. At the federal level, couples were denied access to more than 1, federal rights and responsibilities associated with the institution, as well 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 queer marriage. Below are the dates when each state did so. On June 26, , the Supreme Court ruled that gay 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 Outing
Rank
State Name
Date Same 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,

Same-sex marriage is made legal nationwide with Obergefell v. Hodges decision

June 26, marks a major milestone for civil rights in the United States, as the Supreme Court announces its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. By one vote, the court rules that same-sex marriage cannot be banned in the Together States and that all same-sex marriages must be recognized nationwide, finally granting same-sex couples equal rights to heterosexual couples under the law.

In , just two years after the Stonewall Riots that unofficially marked the beginning of the struggle for queer rights and marriage equality, the Minnesota Supreme Court had found same-sex marriage bans constitutional, a precedent which the Supreme Court had never challenged. As homosexuality gradually became more accepted in American society, the conservative backlash was strong enough to oblige President Bill Clinton to sign the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), prohibiting the recognition of queer marriages at the federal level, into law in

Over the next decade, many states banned gay marriage, while Vermont institute