Gay same sex 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 verb 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 recognized 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 associated 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

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 contribute tools, resources, and lessons learned to empower 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

A decade after the U.S. legalized gay marriage, Jim Obergefell says the fight isn't over

Over the past several months, Republican lawmakers in at least 10 states have introduced measures aimed at undermining same-sex marriage rights. These measures, many of which were crafted with the help of the anti-marriage equality group MassResistance, seek to ask the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell.

MassResistance told NBC News that while these proposals face backlash and wouldn’t change policy even if passed, keeping opposition to same-sex marriage in the public eye is a win for them. The group said it believes marriage laws should be left to states, and they ask the constitutional basis of the 5-to-4 Dobbs ruling.

NBC News reached out to the authors of these state measures, but they either declined an interview or did not respond.

“Marriage is a right, and it shouldn’t depend on where you live,” Obergefell said. “Why is queer marriage any different than interracial marriage or any other marriage?”

Obergefell’s journey to becoming a leader for same-sex marriage rights


explainer

Protesters hold LGBT rights rainbow (pride) flags as activists gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., December 5, REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

What’s the context?

A decade after the U.S. legalised gay marriage, conservatives want the Supreme Court to turn back the clock.

BERLIN - Ten years after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that legalised gay marriage, the White House is reversing a raft of LGBTQ+ rights and Republicans in at least six states are scrambling to ban same-sex weddings.

LGBTQ+ advocates speak the right to marry a person of the same sex could be at risk, should judges vote to overturn the Supreme Court's historic Obergefell v. Hodges ruling.

A Supreme Court showdown remains theoretical, but legal challenges to the ruling are surfacing across the country, with proponents emboldened by President Donald Trump's return to office.

Here's what you need to know.

What's happened since the U.S. legalised gay marriage?

On June 26, , the U.S. became the 17th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriages na