Marriage between members of the same gender within the United States of America

Newly married couple in Minnesota a few months after the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage.

The availability of legally recognized same-sex marriage in the United States expanded from one state in 2004 to all fifty states in 2015 through various court rulings, state legislation, and direct popular votes. States each have separate marriage laws, which must adhere to rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States that recognize marriage as a fundamental right guaranteed by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as first established in the 1967 landmarkcivil rights case of Loving v. Virginia.

Civil rights campaigning in support of marriage without distinction as to sex or sexual orientation began in the 1970s.^[1] In 1972, the now overturned Baker v. Nelson saw the Supreme Court of the United States decline to become involved.^[2] The issue became prominent from around 1993, when the Supreme Court of Hawaii ruled in Baehr v. Lewin that it was unconstitutional under the Constitution of Hawaii for the state to abridge marriage on the basis of sex. That ruling led to federal and state actions to explicitly abridge marriage on the basis of sex in order to prevent the marriages of same-sex couples from being recognized by law, the most prominent of which was the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that it was unconstitutional under the Constitution of Massachusetts for the state to abridge marriage on the basis of sex. From 2004 through to 2015, as the tide of public opinion continued to move towards support of same-sex marriage, various state court rulings, state legislation, direct popular votes (referendums and initiatives), and federal court rulings established same-sex marriage in thirty-six of the fifty states.

The first two decades of the 21st century saw same-sex marriage receive support from prominent figures in the civil rights movement, including Coretta Scott King, John Lewis, Julian Bond, and Mildred Loving.^[3] In May 2011, national public support for same-sex marriage rose above 50% for the first time.^[4] In May 2012, the NAACP, the leading African-American civil rights organization, declared its support for same-sex marriage and stated that it is a civil right.^[5] In June 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down DOMA for violating the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution in the landmark civil rights case of United States v. Windsor, leading to federal recognition of same-sex marriage, with federal benefits for married couples connected to either the state of residence or the state in which the marriage was solemnized. In May 2015, national public support for same-sex marriage rose to 60% for the first time.^[6] In June 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in the landmark civil rights case of Obergefell v. Hodges that the fundamental right of same-sex couples to marry on the same terms and conditions as opposite-sex couples, with all the accompanying rights and responsibilities, is guaranteed by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The most prominent supporters of same-sex marriage are human rights and civil rights organizations, while the most prominent opponents are religious groups. The ruling of the Supreme Court in Obergefell occurred following decades of consistently rising national public support for same-sex marriage in the United States, with support continuing to rise thereafter.

A study of nationwide data from January 1999 to December 2015 revealed that the establishment of same-sex marriage is associated with a significant reduction in the rate of attempted suicide among teens, with the effect being concentrated among teens of a minority sexual orientation, resulting in approximately 134,000 fewer teens attempting suicide each year in the United States.

History[edit]

Main article: History of same-sex marriage in the United States

See also: Timeline of same-sex marriage in the United States

A newlywed same-sex couple celebrate their marriage in the United States.

The history of same-sex marriage in the United States dates from the early 1970s, when the first lawsuits seeking legal recognition of same-sex relationships brought the question of civil marriage rights and benefits for same-sex couples to public attention, though they proved unsuccessful.^[7] The subject became increasingly prominent in U.S. politics following the 1993 Hawaii Supreme Court decision in Baehr v. Miike that suggested the possibility that the state's prohibition might be unconstitutional. That decision was met by actions at both the federal and state level to restrict marriage to male-female couples, notably the enactment at the federal level of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state and the sixth jurisdiction in the world to legalize same-sex marriage following the Supreme Judicial Court's decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health six months earlier. Just as with the Hawaii decision, the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts provoked a reaction from opponents that resulted in further legal restrictions being written into state statutes and constitutions. The movement to obtain marriage rights for same-sex couples expanded steadily from that time until in late 2014 lawsuits had been brought in every state that still denied marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

By late 2014, same-sex marriage had become legal in states that contained more than 70% of the United States population. In some jurisdictions, legalization came through the action of state courts or the enactment of state legislation. More frequently it came as the result of the decisions of federal courts. On November 6, 2012, Maine, Maryland, and Washington became the first states to legalize same-sex marriage through popular vote. Same-sex marriage had been legalized in the District of Columbia and 21 Native American tribal nations as well.

The June 2013 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Windsor striking down the law barring federal recognition of same-sex marriage gave significant impetus to the progress of lawsuits that challenged state bans on same-sex marriage in federal court. Since that decision, with only a few exceptions, U.S. District Courts and Courts of Appeals have found state bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, as have several state courts. The exceptions have been a state court in Tennessee, U.S. district courts in Louisiana and Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear appeals from that circuit's decision.

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state bans on same-sex marriage, legalized it in all fifty states, and required states to honor out-of-state same-sex marriage licenses in the case Obergefell v. Hodges.

Legal issues[edit]

See also: Same-sex marriage legislation in the United States

The legal issues surrounding same-sex marriage in the United States are determined by the nation's federal system of government, in which the status of a person, including marital status, is determined in large measure by the individual states. Prior to 1996, the federal government did not define marriage; any marriage recognized by a state was recognized, even if that marriage was not recognized by one or more states, as was the case until 1967 with interracial marriage, which some states banned by statute.

Prior to 2004, same-sex marriage was not performed or recognized in any U.S. jurisdiction, but subsequently began to be performed and recognized by law in different jurisdictions through legislation, court rulings,^[8] tribal council rulings,^[9] and popular referenda.^[10][11][12]

The Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges ended all inter-state legal complications surrounding same-sex marriage, as it orders states to both perform the marriages of same-sex couples and to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples performed in other states.^[13]

Federal law[edit]

Status of same-sex marriage in the United States

---

  Performed and recognized

  Recognized when performed elsewhere

  Only recognized by the state and federal governments

  (mixed jurisdiction; not performed by tribal government)

  (mixed jurisdiction; not performed or recognized by tribal government)

---

According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in 2004, 1,138 federal rights and protections are conferred to U.S. citizens upon marriage; areas affected include Social Security benefits, veterans' benefits, health insurance, Medicaid, hospital visitation, estate taxes, retirement savings, pensions, family leave, and immigration law.^[14]

Since July 9, 2015, married same-sex couples throughout the United States have had equal access to all the federal benefits that married opposite-sex couples have.^[15]

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was enacted in 1996. DOMA's Section 2 says that no state needs to recognize the legal validity of a same-sex relationship even if recognized as marriage by another state. It purports to relieve a state of its reciprocal obligation to honor the laws of other states as required by the Constitution's Full Faith and Credit Clause.^[16] Even before DOMA, however, states sometimes refused to recognize a marriage from another jurisdiction if it was counter to its "strongly held public policies".^[17] Most lawsuits that sought to require a state to recognize a marriage established in another jurisdiction argue on the basis of equal protection and due process, not the Full Faith and Credit Clause.^[a]

DOMA's Section 3 defined marriage for the purposes of federal law as a union of one man and one woman.^[20] It was challenged in the federal courts. On July 8, 2010, Judge Joseph Tauro of the District Court of Massachusetts held that the denial of federal rights and benefits to lawfully married Massachusetts same-sex couples is unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.^[21] Beginning in 2010, eight federal courts found DOMA Section 3 unconstitutional in cases involving bankruptcy, public employee benefits, estate taxes, and immigration.^[22][23][24] On October 18, 2012, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals became the first court to hold sexual orientation to be a quasi-suspect classification and applied intermediate scrutiny to strike down Section 3 of DOMA as unconstitutional in Windsor v. United States.^[25] The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Windsor on June 26, 2013, that Section 3 violated the Fifth Amendment.^[26][b]

As a result of the Windsor decision, married same-sex couples—regardless of domicile—have federal tax benefits (including the ability to file joint federal income tax returns), military benefits, federal employment benefits, and immigration benefits.^{[27][28][29][30]} In February 2014, the Justice Department expanded federal recognition of same-sex marriages to include bankruptcies, prison visits, survivor benefits and refusing to testify against a spouse.^[31] Likewise in June 2014, family medical leave benefits under the Family Medical Leave Act 1975 were extended to married same-sex couples.^[32] With respect to social security and veterans benefits, same-sex married couples are eligible for full benefits from the Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). Prior to the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26, 2015, the VA and SSA could provide only limited benefits to married same-sex couples living in states where same-sex marriage was not legal.^[33][34] Effective March 27, 2015, the definition of spouse under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 includes employees in a same-sex marriage regardless of state of residence.^[35][36] Following the Obergefell decision, the Justice Department extended all federal marriage benefits to married same-sex couples nationwide.^[15]

The federal government recognizes the marriages of same-sex couples who married in certain states in which same-sex marriage was legal for brief periods between the time a court order allowed such couples to marry and that court order was stayed, including Michigan. It also recognized marriages performed in Utah from December 20, 2013, to January 6, 2014, even while the state didn't. Under similar circumstances, it never took a position on Indiana or Wisconsin's marriages performed in brief periods, though it did recognize them once the respective states announced they would do so. It had not taken a position with respect to similar marriages in Arkansas prior to the Obergefell decision legalizing and recognizing same-sex marriages in all fifty states.^[37]

Opponents of same-sex marriage have worked to prevent individual states from recognizing same-sex unions by attempting to amend the United States Constitution to restrict marriage to heterosexual unions. In 2006, the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have prohibited states from recognizing same-sex marriages, was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote and was debated by the full Senate, but was ultimately defeated in both houses of Congress.^[38] On April 2, 2014, the Alabama House of Representatives adopted a resolution calling for a constitutional convention to propose an amendment to ban same-sex marriage nationwide.^[39]

State and territorial recognition[edit]

Further information: Same-sex marriage law in the United States by state

Same-sex marriages are licensed in and recognized by all U.S. states and the District of Columbia, as well as all U.S. territories except American Samoa.^[40] On July 3, 2015, the Attorney General for American Samoa stated "we are reviewing the opinion [Obergefell v. Hodges] and its potential applicability to American Samoa, and will provide comment when it is completed."^[41] Currently, same-sex marriages are neither licensed nor recognized there. On January 6, 2016, Alabama's Chief Justice, Roy Moore, issued a ruling forbidding state officials from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.^[42] The ruling had no effect as all Alabama counties continued either issuing marriage licenses to all couples or not issuing licenses at all. In May 2016, Moore was charged with ethics violations by the state Judicial Inquiry Commission for the ruling,^[43] subsequently being suspended from the bench for the remainder of his term on September 30 of that year.^[44]

Counties not issuing marriage licenses[edit]

As of 2020, there are apparently no counties in the United States that do not (or would not) register the marriages of same-sex couple.

• Officials of one Texas county, Irion, issued marriage licenses, but claimed they would refuse same-sex couples. Starting in 2017, they refused to comment on what they would do if a same-sex couple were to apply for license.^[45] However, as of March 2020, Irion County clerk stated she would issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and the form available on the office's website was not gender specific and stated no restrictions as to the genders of the applicants.^[46]
• Officials in several Alabama counties initially stopped issuing any marriage licenses rather than issue them to same-sex couples. By 2017, the number of counties doing this to avoid issuing them to same-sex couples dropped to eight.^[47][48] This was in accordance with a state law, which was passed in 1961 to preserve racial segregation by making it optional for county clerks to issue marriage licenses.^[49] The Alabama Legislature passed a bill replacing marriage licenses with marriage certificates in May 2019.^[50] These final eight counties resumed allowing couples to marry on August 29, 2019.
• Several Kentucky counties initially refused to marry same-sex couples. In response, Kentucky reformed its marriage license forms and removed the name of the county clerk from the licenses. As of June 2016, Chris Hartmann, director of the Kentucky-based Fairness Campaign, said that to his knowledge "there are no counties where marriage licenses are being denied" in his state.^[51]

Parental rights[edit]

Main article: LGBT adoption in the United States

Post-Obergefell, six states have, on occasion, attempted to deny same-sex couples full adoption rights to varying degrees. In Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, and Wisconsin, same-sex couples have been met with rejection when trying to get both parents' names listed on the birth certificate. In V.L. v. E.L., Alabama's highest court attempted to void an adoption decree obtained by a same-sex couple in Georgia, but the U.S. Supreme Court reversed, restoring joint custody to the adoptive mother on March 7, 2016. Mississippi had once banned same-sex couples from adopting, but the law requiring this was ruled unconstitutional by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi on March 31, 2016. With that ruling, adoption by same-sex couples became legal in all fifty states.^[52][53]

On June 26, 2017, the Supreme Court ruled by a 6–3 vote in the case of Pavan v. Smith that under their decision in Obergefell, same-sex couples must be treated equally to opposite-sex couples in the issuance of birth certificates. In December 2016, the Supreme Court of Arkansas upheld a state law only allowing opposite-sex couples to be automatically listed as parents on their children's birth certificates, while prohibiting same-sex couples from being allowed the same on an equal basis. The Supreme Court summarily reversed the Arkansas Supreme Court, finding that the disparity in treatment violated their decision in Obergefell.^[54]

Tribal law[edit]

Main article: Same-sex marriage in tribal nations in the United States

The Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the states and territories did not legalize same-sex marriage in Native American tribal nations. In the United States, Congress (not the federal courts) has legal authority over Native reservations. Thus, unless Congress passes a law regarding same-sex marriage on such reservations, federally recognized Native American tribes have the legal right to form their own marriage laws.^[55] As of the time of the Obergefell ruling, 25 tribal nations legally recognized same-sex marriage. Some tribes have passed legislation specifically addressing same-sex relationships and some specify that state law and jurisdiction govern tribal marriages. As of October 2019, same-sex marriage is legally recognized in at least 44 tribal nations.

Local laws prior to Obergefell v. Hodges[edit]

State laws regarding same-sex marriage in the United States prior to Obergefell v. Hodges¹

---

  Same-sex marriage legal

  Same-sex marriage ban overturned, decision stayed indefinitely

  Same-sex marriage banned where federal circuit court has found similar bans unconstitutional

  Same-sex marriage banned

  Same-sex marriage legality complicated

---

¹Native American tribal nationshave laws pertaining to same-sex marriage independent of state law. The federal government recognizes same-sex marriages, regardless of the current state of residence.

Prior to Obergefell, same-sex marriage was legal to at least some degree in thirty-eight states, one territory (Guam) and the District of Columbia; of the states, Missouri, Kansas, and Alabama had restrictions. Until United States v. Windsor, it was only legal in 12 states and the District of Columbia. Beginning in July 2013, over forty federal and state courts cited Windsor to strike down state bans on the licensing or recognition of same-sex marriage. Missouri recognized same-sex marriages from out of state and same-sex marriages licensed by the City of St. Louis under two separate state court orders; two other jurisdictions issued such licenses as well. In Kansas, marriage licenses were available to same-sex couples in most counties, but the state did not recognize their validity. Some counties in Alabama issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples for three weeks until the state Supreme Court ordered probate judges to stop doing so. That court's ruling did not address the recognition of same-sex marriages already licensed in Alabama, but referred to them as "purported 'marriage licenses'".^[56] In two additional states, same-sex marriages were previously legal between the time their bans were struck down and then stayed. Michigan recognized the validity of more than 300 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples and those marriages. Arkansas recognized the more than 500 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples there,^[57] and the Federal Government had not taken a position on Arkansas's marriage licenses.

State or territory	Population[58]	Date of Enactment/Ruling	Date Effective	Legalization method	Details
Alaska	736,732	October 12, 2014	October 17, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska ruling in Hamby v. Parnell.[59]
Arizona	6,731,484	October 17, 2014	October 17, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona ruling in Connolly v. Jeanes and in Majors v. Horne.[60]
California	38,802,500	May 15, 2008	June 16, 2008	State court decision → overturned by constitutional ban	California Supreme Court ruling in In re Marriage Cases. Ceased via state constitutional amendment after Proposition 8 passed on November 5, 2008.
		August 4, 2010	June 28, 2013	Federal court decision → legislative statute	U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruling in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, finding Proposition 8 unconstitutional. Stayed during appeal, affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals as Perry v. Brown. Certiorari granted and appealed as Hollingsworth v. Perry to the U.S. Supreme Court; the high court dismissed Hollingsworth for lack of standing and vacated the Ninth Circuit decision below, resulting with the original decision in Perry left intact.[61] Gender-neutral marriage bill passed by the California State Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of California took effect on January 1, 2015.[62]
Colorado	5,355,866	July 9, 2014	October 7, 2014	State court decision	Colorado district court ruling in Brinkman v. Long
		July 23, 2014		Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado ruling in Burns v. Hickenlooper
Connecticut	3,596,677	October 10, 2008	November 12, 2008	State court decision → legislative statute	Connecticut Supreme Court ruling in Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health; incorporated into state statutes in April 2009.
Delaware	935,614	May 7, 2013	July 1, 2013	Legislative statute	Passed by the Delaware General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor of Delaware.
District of Columbia	658,893	December 18, 2009	March 9, 2010	Legislative statute	Passed by the Council of the District of Columbia.
Florida	19,893,297	August 21, 2014	January 6, 2015	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida ruling in Brenner v. Scott.
Guam	165,124 (not included in population total)	June 5, 2015	June 9, 2015	Binding federal court precedent → actions of territorial officials → federal court decision → legislative statute	Attorney General Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson deferred to the controlling precedent set by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Latta v. Otter, ordering that marriage licenses for same-sex couples be processed immediately beginning on April 15, 2015.[63]District Court of Guam ruling in Aguero v. Calvo upholding the earlier decision by the Ninth Circuit.[64]Marriage Equality Act, incorporating the decision, passed by the Guam Legislature went into effect on August 27, 2015.[65]
Hawaii	1,419,561	November 13, 2013	December 2, 2013	Legislative statute	Hawaii Marriage Equality Act passed by the Hawaii State Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of Hawaii.
Idaho	1,634,464	October 7, 2014	October 15, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho ruling in Latta v. Otter,[66] upheld by the Ninth Circuit.[67]
Illinois	12,880,580	November 20, 2013	June 1, 2014	Legislative statute	Passed by the Illinois General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor of Illinois.
Indiana	6,596,855	September 4, 2014	October 6, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana ruling in Baskin v. Bogan. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's ruling.[68]
Iowa	3,107,126	April 3, 2009	April 27, 2009	State court decision	Iowa Supreme Court ruling in Varnum v. Brien. One same-sex couple obtained a marriage licensed and married before initial ruling was stayed.[69]
Maine	1,330,089	November 6, 2012	December 29, 2012	Initiative statute	Proposed by initiative as referendum Question 1, approved.
Maryland	5,976,407	November 6, 2012	January 1, 2013	Legislative statute → referendum	Civil Marriage Protection Act passed by the Maryland General Assembly; petitioned to referendum Question 6, upheld.
Massachusetts	6,745,408	November 18, 2003	May 17, 2004	State court decision	Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health.
Minnesota	5,457,173	May 14, 2013	August 1, 2013	Legislative statute	Passed by the Minnesota Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of Minnesota.
Montana	1,023,579	November 19, 2014	November 19, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Montana ruling in Rolando v. Fox.[70]
Nevada	2,839,099	October 7, 2014	October 9, 2014	Federal court decision → legislative statute	Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Sevcik v. Sandoval. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada's ruling.[71] Gender-neutral marriage bill passed by the Nevada Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of Nevada went into effect on July 1, 2017.[72][73]
New Hampshire	1,326,813	June 3, 2009	January 1, 2010	Legislative statute	Passed by the New Hampshire General Court and signed into law by the Governor of New Hampshire.
New Jersey	8,938,175	September 27, 2013	October 21, 2013	State court decision	New Jersey Superior Court ruling in Garden State Equality v. Dow.
New Mexico	2,085,572	December 19, 2013	December 19, 2013	State court decision → legislative statute	New Mexico Supreme Court ruling in Griego v. Oliver. Gender-neutral marriage bill passed by the New Mexico Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of New Mexico went into effect on July 1, 2019.[74]
New York	19,746,227	June 24, 2011	July 24, 2011	Legislative statute	Marriage Equality Act passed by the New York State Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of New York.
North Carolina	9,943,964	October 10, 2014	October 10, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina ruling in General Synod of the United Church of Christ v. Cooper.[75]
Oklahoma	3,878,051	July 18, 2014	October 6, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma ruling in Bishop v. Oklahoma. The Tenth Circuit affirmed the ruling in Bishop v. Smith.[76]
Oregon	3,970,239	May 19, 2014	May 19, 2014	Federal court decision → legislative statute	U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon ruling in Geiger v. Kitzhaber. Gender-neutral marriage bill passed by the Oregon Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of Oregon went into effect on January 1, 2016.[77]
Pennsylvania	12,787,209	May 20, 2014	May 20, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania ruling in Whitewood v. Wolf.
Rhode Island	1,055,173	May 2, 2013	August 1, 2013	Legislative statute	Passed by the Rhode Island General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor of Rhode Island.
South Carolina	4,832,482	November 12, 2014	November 20, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina ruling in Condon v. Haley.[78]
Utah	2,942,902	June 25, 2014	October 6, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Utah ruling in Kitchen v. Herbert. Marriages licensed between December 20, 2013, and January 6, 2014. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court ruling in Kitchen v. Herbert.
Vermont	626,562	April 7, 2009	September 1, 2009	Legislative statute	Passed by the Vermont General Assembly, overriding Governor Jim Douglas' veto.
Virginia	8,326,289	July 28, 2014	October 6, 2014	Federal court decision → Legislative statute	U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruling in Bostic v. Rainey.[79] The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the U.S. district court ruling in Bostic v. Schaefer.[80] Bill repealing the ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions passed by the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor of Virginia will take effect on July 1, 2020.[81]
Washington	7,061,530	November 6, 2012	December 6, 2012	Legislative statute → referendum	Passed by the Washington State Legislature; suspended by petition and referred to Referendum 74, approved.
West Virginia	1,850,326	October 9, 2014	October 9, 2014	Binding federal court precedent → actions of state officials → federal court decision	Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, recognizing the precedent established by the Fourth Circuit ruling in Bostic v. Schaefer, dropped their defense of the state's same-sex marriage ban.[82] The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia in McGee v. Cole overturned West Virginia's statutory ban on same-sex marriage on November 7, 2014.[83]
Wisconsin	5,757,564	September 4, 2014	October 6, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin ruling in Wolf v. Walker. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's ruling.[84]
Wyoming	584,153	October 17, 2014	October 21, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming ruling in Guzzo v. Mead.[85]
Total	221,434,635 (69.4% of the U.S. population)

Note: This table shows only states that licensed and recognized same-sex marriages or had legalized them, before Obergefell v. Hodges. It does not include states that recognized same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions but did not license them.

Debate[edit]

Support[edit]

In the United States and Canada, professional organizations including the American Anthropological Association, the American Counseling Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Nursing, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the Canadian Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and the American Academy of Family Physicians have stated that the scientific evidence supports the following conclusions: homosexuality is a natural and normal human sexuality, sexual orientation is not a choice, gay people form stable and committed relationships that are essentially equivalent to the relationships of heterosexuals, same-sex parents are no less capable than opposite-sex parents to raise children, no civilization or viable social order depends on restricting marriage to heterosexuals, and the children of same-sex couples fare just as well or even better than the children of opposite-sex couples.^[86]

Prominent figures in the civil rights movement have expressed their support for same-sex marriage. In 2004, Coretta Scott King, a leader of the civil rights movement and the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., expressed her support for same-sex marriage and publicly denounced attempts to define marriage as the "union of a man and a woman" as a form of "gay bashing".^[87] In 2007, Mildred Loving, the joint plaintiff alongside her husband Richard Loving in the landmarkcivil rights case of Loving v. Virginia in 1967, in which the Supreme Court of the United States struck down all state bans on inter-racial marriage, issued a statement on the 40th anniversary of the ruling in which she expressed her support for same-sex marriage and described it as a civil right akin to inter-racial marriage, stating that "I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry".^[88] In 2009, Julian Bond, a leader of the civil rights movement and a chairman of the NAACP, expressed his support for same-sex marriage and stated that "gay rights are civil rights".^[89] In 2015, John Lewis, a leader of the civil rights movement and a chairman of the SNCC, welcomed the outcome of the landmarkcivil rights case of Obergefell v. Hodges in which the Supreme Court of the United States struck down all state bans on same-sex marriage, stating that "races don't fall in love, genders don't fall in love—people fall in love".^[90]

The NAACP, the leading African-American civil rights organization, has pledged its support for gay rights and same-sex marriage, stating that they "support marriage equality consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution", and has declared that same-sex marriage is a civil right.^[5]

The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT rights organization in the United States, states that "many same-sex couples want the right to legally marry because they are in love — many, in fact, have spent the last 10, 20 or 50 years with that person — and they want to honor their relationship in the greatest way our society has to offer, by making a public commitment to stand together in good times and bad, through all the joys and challenges family life brings."^[91]

Journalist Gail Mathabane likens prohibitions on same-sex marriage to past prohibitions on interracial marriage in the United States.^[92] Author Fernando Espuelas argues that same-sex marriage should be allowed because it recognizes the civil right of a minority.^[93] Historian Nancy Cott rejects alternatives to same-sex marriage (such as civil unions), reasoning that "there really is no comparison, because there is nothing that is like marriage except marriage."^[94]

Role of social media[edit]

Supporters of same-sex marriage successfully utilized social media websites such as Facebook to help achieve their aims.^[95] Some have argued that the successful use of social media by LGBT rights organizations played a key role in the defeat of religion-based opposition.^[96]

One of the largest scale uses of social media to mobilize support for same-sex marriage preceded and coincided with the arrival at the U.S. Supreme Court of high-profile legal cases for Proposition 8 and DOMA in March 2013. The "red equal sign" project started by the Human Rights Campaign was an electronic campaign primarily based on Facebook that encouraged users to change their profile images to a red equal sign to express support for same-sex marriage.^[97] At the time of the court hearings, an estimated 2.5 million Facebook users changed their profile images to a red equal sign.^[98]

Opposition[edit]

Opposition to same-sex marriage is based on claims such as the beliefs that homosexuality is unnatural and abnormal, that the recognition of same-sex unions will promote homosexuality in society, and that children are better off when raised by opposite-sex couples.^[99] While some researchers question the definitiveness of the evidence,^[100] others assert that science has shown that homosexuality is a natural and normal human sexuality, that sexual orientation cannot be chosen, and that the children of same-sex couples fare just as well or even better than the children of opposite-sex couples.^[86]

Some of the opponents of same-sex marriage are religious groups such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Catholic Church, and the Southern Baptist Convention, all of which desire for marriage to remain restricted to opposite-sex marriages.^[101] However, there are faith-based supporters of LGBT equality and LGBT people of faith within every faith group.^[102]

The funding of the amendment referendum campaigns has been an issue of great dispute. Both judges and the IRS have ruled that it is either questionable or illegal for campaign contributions to be shielded by anonymity.^{[103][104][105]}

Politicians and media figures[edit]

The White House, illuminated in rainbow colors, on the evening of the Obergefellruling, June 26, 2015.

President Barack Obama's views on same-sex marriage varied over the course of his political career and became more consistently supportive of same-sex marriage rights over time. In the 1990s, he had supported same-sex marriage while campaigning for the Illinois Senate.^[106][107] During the 2008 presidential campaign, he was opposed to same-sex marriage,^[108] but he also opposed the 2008 California referendum that aimed at reversing a court ruling establishing same-sex marriage there.^[109] In 2009, he opposed two opposing federal legislative proposals that would have banned or established same-sex marriage nationally, stating that each state had to decide the issue.^[110][111] In December 2010, he expressed support for civil unions with rights equivalent to marriage and for federal recognition of same-sex relationships. He opposed a federal constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.^[112] He also stated that his position on same-sex marriage was "evolving" and that he recognized that civil unions from the perspective of same-sex couples was "not enough".^[113] On May 9, 2012, President Obama became the first sitting president to support same-sex marriage. He still said the legal question belonged to the states.^[114] In October 2014, Obama told an interviewer that his view had changed:

Ultimately, I think the Equal Protection Clause does guarantee same-sex marriage in all fifty states. But, as you know, courts have always been strategic. There have been times where the stars were aligned and the Court, like a thunderbolt, issues a ruling like Brown v. Board of Education, but that's pretty rare. And, given the direction of society, for the Court to have allowed the process to play out the way it has may make the shift less controversial and more lasting.^[115]

— President Barack Obama, on the matter of same-sex marriage as a constitutional question

Shortly after winning the 2016 election, President Donald Trump said he's "fine" with same-sex marriage and believes it to be settled law: "It's law. It was settled in the Supreme Court. I mean, it's done."^[116] This somewhat contrasted with a previous statement he made in June 2015, after Obergefell v. Hodges, in which he said he's personally for "traditional marriage" and that he believed same-sex marriage should be left to the states.^[117] In that same statement, however, Trump admitted that overturning Obergefell is not realistic. Several of his federal appointments have also, subsequently, announced they will uphold same-sex marriage and enforce the Supreme Court ruling, while still being personally against same-sex marriage,^[118] namely Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.^[119]

Former presidents Bill Clinton,^[120]Jimmy Carter,^[121] and Barack Obama, former vice presidents Dick Cheney,^[122]Al Gore,^[123]Walter Mondale,^[124] and Joe Biden have voiced their support for same-sex marriage, as have former first ladies Laura Bush,^[125]Hillary Clinton,^[126]Michelle Obama,^[127] and Nancy Reagan.^[128] Former President George H. W. Bush and his wife former First Lady Barbara Bush have served as witnesses to a same-sex wedding, but neither has publicly stated whether this means they support same-sex marriage in general;^[129]George W. Bush reportedly offered to officiate the same wedding,^[130] but has similarly not made a public statement regarding his position on the issue (as president, he was opposed). Fifteen U.S. senators announced their support in the spring of 2013.^[131] By April 2013, a majority of the Senate had expressed support for same-sex marriage.^[132] Senator Rob Portman of Ohio became the first sitting Republican senator to endorse same-sex marriage in March 2013,^[133] followed by Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois in April,^[134] Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska in June,^[135] and Senator Susan Collins of Maine a year later.^[136]

Politicians who have notably opposed same-sex marriage have included Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, and Sarah Palin.

Prominent politicians who have shifted from opposing to supporting same-sex marriage include Republican Senator Rob Portman, and Republican Representative Bob Barr (the author of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act).

In an interview on The O'Reilly Factor in August 2010, when Glenn Beck was asked if he "believe(s) that gay marriage is a threat to [this] country in any way", he stated, "No I don't. ... I believe that Thomas Jefferson said: 'If it neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket what difference is it to me?'"^[137][138]

Studies[edit]

Adolescent attempted suicide[edit]

The establishment of same-sex marriage is associated with a significant reduction in the rate of attempted suicide among teenagers, with the effect being concentrated among teens of a minority sexual orientation. A study of nationwide data from across the United States from January 1999 to December 2015 revealed that the rate of attempted suicide among all students in grades 9–12 declined by 7% and the rate of attempted suicide among those of a minority sexual orientation in grades 9–12 declined by 14% in states which established same-sex marriage, resulting in approximately 134,000 fewer teens attempting suicide each year in the United States. The researchers took advantage of the gradual manner in which same-sex marriage was established in the United States (expanding from one state in 2004 to all fifty states in 2015) to compare the rate of attempted suicide among teens in each state over the time period studied. Once same-sex marriage was established in a particular state, the reduction in the rate of attempted suicide among teens in that state became permanent. No reduction in the rate of attempted suicide among teens occurred in a particular state until that state recognized same-sex marriage. The lead researcher of the study observed that "laws that have the greatest impact on gay adults may make gay kids feel more hopeful for the future".^{[139][140][141][142][143]}

Economic impact on same-sex couples[edit]

Until the Supreme Court's June 2013 ruling in United States v. Windsor required the Federal Government to treat lawfully married same-sex couples on an equal basis with lawfully married opposite-sex couples, same-sex married couples faced severe disadvantages. The Federal Government did not recognize those marriages for any purpose. According to a 1997 General Accounting Office study, at least 1,049 U.S. federal laws and regulations include references to marital status.^[144] A 2004 study by the Congressional Budget Office found 1,138 statutory provisions "in which marital status is a factor in determining or receiving 'benefits, rights, and privileges.'"^[145] Many of these laws govern property rights, benefits, and taxation. Same-sex couples whose marriages were not recognized by the Federal Government were ineligible for spousal and survivor Social Security benefits and were ineligible for the benefits of the spouse of a federal government employee.^[145] One study found that the difference in Social Security income for same-sex couples compared to opposite-sex married couples was per year.^[146]

Compared to similarly situated opposite-sex married couples, same-sex couples faced the following financial and legal disadvantages:

• Legal costs associated with obtaining domestic partner documents to gain legal abilities granted automatically by legal marriage, including power of attorney, health care decision-making, and inheritance^[146]
• A person can inherit an unlimited amount from a deceased spouse without incurring an estate tax, but was subject to taxes if inheriting from a same-sex partner^[145]
• Same-sex couples were not eligible to file jointly as a married couple and thus could not take the advantages of lower tax rates when the individual income of the partners differs significantly^[145][c]
• Employer-provided health insurance coverage for a same-sex partner incurred federal income tax^[145]
• Higher health costs associated with lack of insurance and preventive care: 20% of same-sex couples had a member who was uninsured compared to 10% of married opposite-sex couples^[146]
• Inability to protect jointly owned home from loss due to costs of potential medical catastrophe^[146]
• Inability of a U.S. citizen to sponsor a same-sex spouse for citizenship^[146]

Some 7,400 companies were offering spousal benefits to same-sex couples as of 2008. In states that recognized same-sex marriages, same-sex couples could continue to receive those same benefits only if they married.^[148] Only 18% of private employers offered domestic partner health care benefits.^[146]

Same-sex couples face the same financial constraints of legal marriage as opposite-sex married couples, including the marriage penalty in taxation.^[145] While social service providers usually do not count one partner's assets toward the income means test for welfare and disability assistance for the other partner, a legally married couple's joint assets are normally used in calculating whether a married individual qualifies for assistance.^[145]

A 2019 study found an increase in employment among same-sex couples after the legalization of same-sex marriage. The author of the study provided additional evidence suggesting that this change in employment was driven by a decline in discrimination.^[149]

Economic impact on the state and federal governments[edit]

The 2004 Congressional Budget Office study, working from an assumption "that about 0.6 percent of adults would enter into same-sex marriages if they had the opportunity" (an assumption in which they admitted "significant uncertainty") estimated that legalizing same-sex marriage throughout the United States "would improve the budget's bottom line to a small extent: by less than $1 billion in each of the next 10 years". This result reflects an increase in net government revenues (increased income taxes due to marriage penalties more than offsetting decreased tax revenues arising from postponed estate taxes). Marriage recognition would increase the government expenses for Social Security and Federal Employee Health Benefits but that increase would be more than made up for by decreased expenses for Medicaid, Medicare, and Supplemental Security Income.^[145]

According to a study published in May 2020 by the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy, the legalization of same-sex marriage boosted state and local economies by an estimated 3.8 billion dollars. The Williams Institute estimated that the 300,000 same-sex couples who married in the U.S. since 2015 generated about $3.2 billion for local and state economies. In addition, traveling wedding guests spent an additional $544 million, and about 45,000 jobs were supported by same-sex weddings. $244 million was generated in state and local taxes.^{[150][151][152]}

Mental health[edit]

Based in part on research that has been conducted on the adverse effects of stigmatization of gays and lesbians, numerous prominent social science organizations have issued position statements supporting same-sex marriage and opposing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation; these organizations include the American Psychoanalytic Association and the American Psychological Association.^[153]

Several psychological studies have shown that an increase in exposure to negative conversations, media messages, and negative reactions among peers about same-sex marriage creates a harmful environment for LGBT people that may affect their health and well-being, especially among its younger members.^{[154][155][156]}

One study surveyed more than 1,500 lesbian, gay and bisexual adults across the nation and found that respondents from the 25 states that have outlawed same-sex marriage had the highest reports of "minority stress"—the chronic social stress that results from minority-group stigmatization—as well as general psychological distress. According to the study, the negative campaigning that comes with a ban is directly responsible for the increased stress. Past research has shown that minority stress is linked to health risks such as risky sexual behavior and substance abuse.^[157]

Two other studies examined personal reports from LGBT adults and their families living in Memphis, Tennessee, immediately after a successful 2006 ballot campaign banned same-sex marriage. Most respondents reported feeling alienated from their communities. The studies also found that families experienced a kind of secondary minority stress, says Jennifer Arm, a counseling graduate student at the University of Memphis.^[158]

At the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial, expert witness Ilan Meyer testified that the mental health outcomes for gays and lesbians would improve if laws such as Proposition 8 did not exist because "when people are exposed to more stress...they are more likely to get sick..." and that particular situation is consistent with laws that say to gay people "you are not welcome here, your relationships are not valued." Such laws have "significant power", he said.^[159]

Physical health[edit]

In 2009, a pair of economists at Emory University tied the passage of state bans on same-sex marriage in the US to an increase in the rates of HIV/AIDS infection.^[160][161] The study linked the passage of same-sex marriage ban in a state to an increase in the annual HIV rate within that state of roughly 4 cases per 100,000 population.

A study by the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health found that gay men in Massachusetts visited health clinics significantly less often following the legalization of same-sex marriage in that state.^[162]

In popular culture[edit]

The Fox sitcom Roc was the first sitcom to feature a same-sex marriage in 1991.^[163] Since then, several shows and series have featured same-sex marriages, including amongst others Married...with Children, Roseanne ("December Bride"), Glee, Friends ("The One with the Lesbian Wedding"), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Modern Family, The Simpsons ("There's Something About Marrying"), The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Brothers & Sisters, Grey's Anatomy, Will & Grace, Conan, Steven Universe, Shameless, The Fosters, etc.^[164][165]

The 22nd season premier of the PBS animated-show Arthur featured the marriage of teacher Mr. Ratburn and his male partner.^[166] Alabama's public television channel refused to air the episode.^[167]

Marriage statistics[edit]

There is no complete data on the number of same-sex marriages conducted in the United States. Marriages and divorces are recorded by states, counties, and territories, plus New York City and the District of Columbia, but not by the Federal Government. States such as Oregon do not distinguish between opposite-sex and same-sex marriages in their official records. The legal records on marriage and divorce belong to the states.^[168] In August 2016, the Treasury Department estimated the number of same-sex marriages by linking the tax returns of same-sex couples who had filed jointly in 2014 with their Social Security records. (Although this method excluded couples who file singly, these are small in number; of all married couples who file taxes, 97.5% file jointly.) This research showed that in 2014 there were about 183,280 married same-sex couples in the country, or "roughly a third of 1 percent of all marriages" according to The New York Times.^[169] Numbers from 2015 showed a large increase to 250,450 marriages. According to the statistics, female couples were four times more likely to have children than male couples. Additionally, male couples earned a pretax average of $165,960 per year, while lesbian couples earned $118,415 and straight couples earned $115,210. The highest rates of female same-sex marriage were found in Oakland (2.1% of all marriages), Seattle, San Francisco, Springfield (MA) and Portland (OR), whereas gay male marriages were most frequent in San Francisco (3.2%), Washington D.C., New York City, Seattle and Fort Lauderdale.^[170]

The United States Census Bureau has collected data on unmarried same-sex households since 2005. Since 2013 following United States v. Windsor, the Bureau began recording married same-sex households in its Same-Sex Couples report. It recorded about 252,000 same-sex spouses in 2013; 335,000 in 2014; 425,000 in 2015; 487,000 in 2016; 555,000 in 2017; 593,000 in 2018. In 2018, the states of California, Texas and New York had the highest total number of same-sex households, whereas Wyoming, Vermont, South Dakota and Connecticut had the most married same-sex households in comparison to unmarried households (92.4% of Wyoming same-sex households were married, followed by Vermont at 79.3%, South Dakota at 77.8% and Connecticut at 70.7%). Nationally, 59.5% of cohabiting same-sex couples were married.^[171]

The Population Reference Bureau reported that by October 2015 approximately 486,000 same-sex marriages had taken place in the United States. It estimated that 45% of all same-sex couples in the country were married at that time.^[172]

According to Gallup, the percent of cohabiting same-sex couples who are married rose from 38% in 2015 to 49% in 2016 and to 61% in 2017.^[173]

Case law[edit]

See also: Same-sex marriage legislation in the United States § Lawsuits seeking to overturn statutory bans

United States federal and state case law regarding same-sex marriage:

1970s[edit]

• Anonymous v. Anonymous, 67 Misc.2d 982 (N.Y. 1971). The law makes no provision for a "marriage" between persons of the same sex.
• Baker v. Nelson, 191 N.W.2d 185 (Minn. 1971). Upholds a Minnesota law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. (Overruled by Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015; see below)
• Jones v. Hallahan, 501 S.W.2d 588 (Ky. 1973). Upholds the denial of a marriage license to two women in Kentucky based on dictionary definitions of marriage, despite the fact that state statutes do not specify the gender of marriage partners.^[174]
• Frances B. v. Mark B., 78 Misc.2d 112 (1974). Marriage is and always has been a contract between a man and a woman.
• Singer v. Hara, 522 P.2d 1187 (Wash. Ct. App. 1974). The historical definition of marriage is between one man and one woman, and same-sex couples are inherently ineligible to marry. This ban does not constitute sex discrimination.

1980s[edit]

• Adams v. Howerton, 673 F.2d 1036 (9th Cir. 1982), cert. denied, 458 U.S. 1111. A same-sex marriage does not make one a "spouse" under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
• De Santo v. Barnsley, 476 A.2d 952 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1984). Same-sex couples cannot divorce because they cannot form a common law marriage.^[175]

1990s[edit]

• In re Estate of Cooper, 149 Misc.2d 282 (Sur. Ct. Kings Co. 1990). The state has a compelling interest in fostering the traditional institution of marriage and prohibiting same-sex marriage.
• Baehr v. Lewin, 852 P.2d 44 (Haw. 1993). A statute limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples violates the Hawaii Constitution's equal protection clause unless the state can show that the statute is both justified by compelling state interests and also narrowly tailored. This ruling prompted the adoption of Hawaii's constitutional amendment allowing the State Legislature to restrict marriage to different-sex couples and the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
• Dean v. District of Columbia, 653 A.2d 307 (D.C. 1995). DC does not authorise same-sex marriage; denial of a marriage license does not violate the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution.
• Storrs v. Holcomb, 645 N.Y.S.2d 286 (App. Div. 1996). New York does not recognize or authorize same-sex marriage. Overturned in part by Martinez v. County of Monroe in 2008.
• In re Estate of Hall, 707 N.E.2d 201, 206 (Ill. App. Ct. 1998). Illinois does not recognize a same-sex marriage. The petitioner's claim to be in a same-sex marriage was not in a marriage recognized by law.
• Baker v. Vermont, 170 Vt. 194; 744 A.2d 864 (Vt. 1999). The Common Benefits Clause of the Constitution of Vermont requires that same-sex couples be granted the same legal rights as married persons, though it need not be called marriage.

2000s[edit]

• Frandsen v. County of Brevard, 828 So. 2d 757 (Fla. 2001). The Florida Constitution will not be construed to recognize same-sex marriage; sex classifications not subject to strict scrutiny under the Constitution.
• Burns v. Burns, 560 S.E.2d 47 (Ga. Ct. App. 2002). Marriage is the union of one man and one woman.
• In re Estate of Gardiner, 42 P.3d 120 (Kan. 2002). A post-operative male-to-female transsexual is not a woman within the meaning of the statutes and cannot validly marry a man.
• Rosengarten v. Downes, 806 A.2d 1066 (Conn. Ct. App. 2002). Connecticut will not dissolve a Vermont civil union.
• Standhardt v. Superior Court ex rel. County of Maricopa, 77 P.3d 451 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2003). The Constitution of Arizona does not provide the right to same-sex marriage.
• Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health, 798 N.E.2d 941 (Mass. 2003). The denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples violated provisions of the Massachusetts State Constitution guaranteeing individual liberty and equality, and it was not rationally related to a legitimate state interest.
• Morrison v. Sadler, 821 N.E.2d 15 (Ind. Super. Ct. 2005). Indiana's Defense of Marriage Act is valid.
• Langan v. St. Vincent's Hospital, 802 N.Y.S.2d 476 (App. Div. 2005). For the purposes of New York's wrongful death statute, the survivor partner from a Vermont civil union lacks standing as a "spouse".
• Citizens for Equal Protection v. Bruning, 455 F.3d 859 (8th Cir. 2006). Nebraska's Initiative Measure 416 does not violate the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, was not a bill of attainder, and does not violate the First Amendment.^[176]
• Lewis v. Harris, 908 A.2d 196 (N.J. 2006). Prohibiting same-sex marriage does not violate the New Jersey Constitution, but the state must extend all the rights and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples. The New Jersey Legislature had 180 days to amend the marriage laws or create a "parallel structure".
• Andersen v. King County, 138 P.3d 963 (Wash. 2006). Washington's Defense of Marriage Act does not violate the State Constitution.
• Hernandez v. Robles, 855 N.E.2d 1 (N.Y. 2006). The New York Constitution does not require that marriage rights be extended to same-sex couples.^[177]
• Conaway v. Deane, 932 A.2d 571 (Md. 2007). Upholds a Maryland law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
• Martinez v. County of Monroe, 850 N.Y.S.2d 740 (App. Div. 2008). Because New York recognizes the marriages of opposite-sex couples from other jurisdictions, it must do the same for same-sex couples.^[178]
• In re Marriage Cases, 183 P.3d 384 (Cal. 2008). Limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples is invalid under the equal protection clause of the California Constitution. Full marriage rights, not merely domestic partnership, must be offered to same-sex couples.^[179]
• Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health, 957 A.2d 407 (Conn. 2008). The availability of civil unions but not marriage to same-sex partners is a violation of the equality and liberty provisions of the Connecticut Constitution.
• Strauss v. Horton, 207 P.3d 48 (Cal. 2009). Proposition 8 was validly adopted, and marriages contracted before its adoption remain valid.^[180]
• Varnum v. Brien, 763 N.W.2d 862 (Iowa 2009). Barring same-sex couples from marriage violates the equal protection provisions of the Iowa Constitution. Equal protection requires full marriage, rather than civil unions or some other substitute, for same-sex couples.

2010s[edit]

Challenges to DOMA Section 3

California Proposition 8

• Hollingsworth v. Perry (2009–2013). California's Proposition 8, a voter-endorsed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, is found unconstitutional in U.S. district court in Perry v. Schwarzenegger. The proposition's backers appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which upholds the district court's finding of unconstitutionality in Perry v. Brown. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the proposition's backers lacked standing to appeal and left the district court ruling intact.^[182]

Same-sex marriage rights

Rick Wakeman: The Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour

RICK WAKEMAN Returns to the US with a Solo Show Full of Music and Mirth Keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman has two reasons to celebrate. First, his outstanding career in music has just been recognized by Queen Elizabeth II, who named him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in her recent annual Birthday Honours. And secondly, after 18 months of lockdown in the UK, he is finally able to announce the long-delayed follow-up to 2019’s sell-out The Grumpy Old Rock Star Tour with – The Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour! Having made his name creating prog rock extravaganzas, in his solo shows Wakeman returns to his roots with a programme packed with virtuosic piano performances and hilarious anecdotes inspired by his 50-plus-year career. Repertoire will range from his solo works and his stints in the band YES through to his early days as a session musician playing keyboards on such classics as David Bowie’s Life On Mars, plus surprises like his unique interpretations of Beatles’ hits and many more memorable tunes, adapted for the grand piano. And all of this glorious music is punctuated by riotous reflections on his life and the people he’s met along the way. As he himself often observes, life is rarely dull when Rick Wakeman is around! Professional musician, keyboard player, songwriter, broadcaster and raconteur, Wakeman’s career started as a much-in-demand session player, who performed on recordings by David Bowie, Elton John, Lou Reed, Al Stewart and hundreds more artists. His big break came in 1971 when he joined YES, who went on to become the most successful prog rock band in the world, but Wakeman has also always gone his own way outside the framework of that group. In the Seventies, he achieved chart-topping success with solo albums such as Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, The Six Wives of Henry VIII and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, which cumulatively sold over 10,000,000 copies in North America alone. He has written several film scores, amongst them two for director Ken Russell (Lisztomania and Crimes of Passion) and two ‘Harry Palmer’ movies starring Michael Caine (Bullet To Beijing and Midnight in St Petersburg), and in the UK, has built up an impressive reputation as a witty guest and host on shows like Grumpy Old Men, Countdown, Watchdog and the comedy cabaret show Live at Jongleurs. His wickedly irreverent acceptance speech when YES was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 nearly brought the house down! That same year, he made British chart history when his Piano Portraits record became the first solo piano instrumental album to enter the UK’s Top 10 on release – a feat he then repeated with last year’s Piano Odyssey. Both records feature tunes that have a special connection with Rick’s personal musical journey and his subsequent tours, in which he performs a selection of tracks accompanied by hilarious memories and anecdotes have been instant sell-outs in the UK. Now the achievements of his incredible career have been officially recognized with a CBE in recognition of his services to music, so come and celebrate with him on his forthcoming tour. And don’t worry – Rick will still find plenty of reasons to be grumpy…  

The English Beat plus The Twist-offs

One of the key bands of the U.K. ska revival of the late ’70s and early ’80s, the Beat (known as The English Beat in North America to avoid confusion with the Paul Collins-led power pop group) achieved a near-perfect balance of pop melodies and taut rhythms that made them stars in Britain and won them a substantial cult following in the United States. Fronted by vocalist and guitarist Dave Wakeling and toaster Ranking Roger, the racially integrated Beat were based in Birmingham, England and released their debut single, “Tears of a Clown” b/w “Ranking Full Stop,” through the Specials’ 2-Tone label in 1979. The single went Top Ten in the U.K., and they soon struck a deal with Arista to distribute their own Go Feet label. 1980’s I Just Can’t Stop It (released by Sire in the United States) went gold in England on the strength of the single “Mirror in the Bathroom,” and the band’s ferocious performances and clever blend of personal and political lyrics made them stars at home. After a disappointing sophomore effort, 1981’s Wha’ppen?, the band came roaring back with 1982’s Special Beat Service, a more pop-oriented set that gave them a wider U.S. audience thanks to MTV’s embrace of the singles “I Confess” and “Save It for Later.” The band split at the end of that year, but in the 2000s, both Wakeling and Roger were fielding touring versions of the Beat, and the Wakeling edition recorded a new album, 2018’s Here We Go Love.CURRENT LINEUPDave WakelingLead Vocals/GuitarMatt MorrishSax/VocalsKevin LumKeys/VocalsMinh QuanKeys/VocalsBrian “Nucci” CantrellDrums/VocalsAntonee First ClassToasterChuck ElderBass/VocalsQuotes”… [Dave] Wakeling and his crew played 90 minutes worth of hits, deep cuts, some General Public chestnuts and a few new songs… every song was met with recognition and applause.” – River Front Times”[The English Beat are] more popular now than ever.” – San Francisco Chronicle[Dave Wakeling] has assembled an incredible band and is playing his hits with the same raucous enthusiasm that made The English Beat one of the biggest acts of the New Wave Era… Every time they play, The Brew [San Luis Obispo, CA] is packed to the gills with an audience bouncing in unison.” – SLO New Times”People were spilling out the doors by the time [English Beat] went on stage and the palpable joy was in the air when they started… With lyrics about unity, peace, love and partying, and a beat that’s guaranteed to get you out of your seat, their music will always be dancetastic.” – The New York Examiner[The English Beat continues to take] on 2 tone, ska, reggae and new wave, still dishing out on issues of strife and discontentment at times, but always with a happy, danceable tune… drawing large audiences and still has a growing fan base” – San Gabriel Valley Tribune”[Dave Wakeling of The English Beat] is a musician who seems to genuinely enjoy performing, and even those new to the Beat couldn’t help but get swept up in the infectious brand of “happy” music, as one put it.” – Napa Valley Register”As always, the English Beat’s sound is a driving blend of ska, punk, rock and reggae that’s made for dancing.” – Daily Local News

Arielle

Arielle Sunday, March 6th 2022 at 7:30 P.M. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 5th at 10 A.M. Prices: Gold Circle $30, Reserved $25, KSU Students $20     Arielle shares, “Having a two-year hiatus from playing music live was quite actually losing my voice. I never used to think my identity was what I do, but what I’ve come to realize is that it truly is my greatest expression of what I actually am. It’s how I connect with others to their soul. Our soul. These shows will be massively different from anything I’ve ever done thus far. More than anything, I’m just so excited to turn up some old guitar amps, and freaking GO.”   This past May, Arielle released her most recent studio album titled Analog Girl In A Digital World. Music videos released include “Inside & Outside” and “Peace of Mind” (Seen Below) . The collection of songs exhibited her true love of the 60’s and 70’s, and the inspiration that lives in her art from a connection to this wondrous time. An environment where things were done by hand, with a level of craft that couldn’t be hidden behind technology. She offers, “I take and protect those principles inside my music.” The approach for this upcoming tour of the U.S., and activities planned in the U.K. and Europe, is to capture the vibe of this period that resonates so deeply with the artist. Perhaps retro, but unequivocally current at the same time.   INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO VIP REVEALED: WELCOME TO THE GUITAR PETTING ZOO In all markets, Arielle will introduce an innovative approach to the VIP experience. As opposed to simply staging a meet & greet or enabling fans to attend soundcheck, this tour will present the inaugural “guitar petting zoo.” All present will be welcome to play her signature Two-Tone guitar alongside other instruments and the rig she travels with. Photography welcomed, alongside the ability to be present at soundcheck. Additional items will be provided to all purchasers. For more information visit kentstage.org or arielle.store/collections/vip-passes

An Evening with Graham Nash

GRAMMY AWARD WINNER Graham Nash Live at The Kent Stage Sunday, April 3rd at 8 P.M. Gold Circle $91, Reserved $71   About Graham Nash: Legendary artist Graham Nash is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee – with Crosby, Stills, and Nash and with the Hollies. He was also inducted twice into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, as a solo artist and with CSN, and he is a GRAMMY Award winner. Towering above virtually everything that Graham Nash has accomplished in his long and multi-faceted career, stands the litany of songs that he has written and introduced to the soundtrack of the past half-century. His remarkable body of work, beginning with his contributions to the Hollies opus from 1964 to ’68, including “Stop Stop Stop,” “On A Carousel,” and “Carrie Anne,” continues all the way to This Path Tonight (2016), his most recent solo album. Fifteen of his songs are celebrated in the 2018 release, Over the Years…, a 2-disc collection of some of Nash’s best-known works from the past 50 years and more than a dozen unreleased demos and mixes.  The original classic union of Crosby, Stills & Nash (& Young) lasted but twenty months. Yet their songs are lightning rods embedded in our DNA, starting with Nash’s “Marrakesh Express,” “Pre-Road Downs” and “Lady Of the Island,” from the first Crosby, Stills & Nash LP (1969). On CSNY’s Déjà Vu (1970), Nash’s “Teach Your Children” and “Our House” beseeched us to hold love tightly, to fend off the madness that was on its way.   Concert experience enhancementsGRAHAM NASH FRONT ROW PACKAGE:~ One reserved ticket in Front Row ~ Visit to preshow Sound Check with Graham Nash ~ One autographed tour poster ~ One commemorative Graham Nash laminate & ticket ~ Crowd free merchandise shoppingGRAHAM NASH SOUNDCHECK PACKAGE~ One reserved floor ticket within first 8 rows~  Visit to preshow Sound Check with Graham Nash ~ One autographed tour poster ~ One commemorative Graham Nash laminate & commemorative ticket Crowd free merchandise shoppingGRAHAM NASH PREMIUM PACKAGEOne reserved floor ticket within first 10 rowsOne Graham Nash tour itemOne commemorative Graham Nash ticketGUACAMOLE FUND ~ 100% of the Guacamole Fund tickets is paid to organizations that work in the areas of the environment and wildlife, social change, peace with justice, energy and a non nuclear future. .COVIDAt the present time, proof of vaccination and masks required

Shawn Colvin

This is the rescheduled date. Previous purchase tickets will be honored. Three-time GRAMMY winner Shawn Colvin’s debut album, Steady On, was released in October 1989, a stunning introduction to an artist who quickly established herself as a mainstay in the singer-songwriter genre. The album was lauded for its confessional songwriting and well-crafted melodies, and for Colvin’s tender and provocative vocals. Colvin received the ultimate acknowledgement for Steady On when she was awarded the GRAMMY award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. She swiftly amassed a dedicated and passionate fanbase.To commemorate the 30th anniversary of this landmark album, Colvin has released a newly-recordedsolo-acoustic version. Colvin brings a 30-year lens to her treasured songs, casting new light on the stories she first told as a young artist. Colvin has long been hailed as an exemplary solo acoustic performer and these new recordings are a brilliant showcase for her enduring artistry.”I was 32 years old, and the dream of my life had been fulfilled,” Colvin says, “not only because I made an album but mostly because I had written or co-written every song, an accomplishment that was hard won. I was so proud. My feeling was then-and still is-that if I never made another album, Steady On would have been enough.” Steady On Acoustic strips each song to the core, placing Colvin’s songwriting masterclass on full display. “I’ve played these songs countless times, primarily as a solo acoustic artist,” she says. “All in all, this is the incarnation that feels most genuine. And so, to commemorate this milestone I decided to celebrate Steady Onby recording it again, this time using only my voice and my guitar. This represents who I am as an artist and all I ever wanted to be, and I believe it does its predecessor proud.”Over the course ofthree decades, Colvin has established herself as alegacy artist by creating a remarkable canon of work, touring relentlessly both nationally and internationally, and having her songs featured in television and film. She is a revered storyteller deserving of the special recognitionof both her peers and those who have been inspired by her songs. The reworking of her iconic debut feels not only timely but essential, further underscoring that Colvin remains a vital voice for women in music and reaffirming her status as an American a gamechanger. Shawn Colvin will perform Steady On Acoustic in its entirety in what promises to be a very special evening for her longtime fans.Tickets for this event are $30 for Reserved Seats and $40 for Gold Circle!

BoDeans

To the Friends of The Kent Stage As we continue on with the numerous restoration projects here at the Kent Stage, we look forward to hosting an audience very soon! With that being said we are very excited to announce that later this year we will be hosting BoDeans live on our stage. On Tuesday August 31st, 2021, BoDeans will bring it’s touted high energy performance to Kent, Ohio. You won’t want to miss this fantastic opportunity to catch the band live! Bodeans Those who have followed BoDeans’ remarkable 30-year musical career know that their blend of compelling songs and high energy performances have retained an unpretentious rock & roll loyal following like no other.Best known for their catchy single, “Closer To Free,” the band’s accessible adult alternative sound has led to many a milestone, including a Rolling Stone Reader’s Poll for Best New American Band in 1987, and support slots with U2, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Tom Petty, George Thorogood, The Pretenders, David Bowie and numerous others. Appearances at Farm Aid, Summerfest, ACL Festival and others followed, along with TV appearances on “Saturday NightLive,” “Letterman,” “Today,” “Imus,” CNN, and ESPN, to name a few. BoDeans have a permanent installation at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland as part of their Midwest Artists exhibit. After multiple chart-topping radio singles, and TV placements, BoDeans have defined a generation that embraced songs like “Good Things,” “You Don’t Get Much,” “Idaho,” “If It Makes You,” “Closer To Free,” “Stay,” and “All The World.” BoDeans signed their first recording contract with Slash/Warner Brothers Records in 1985 and their debut record, “Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams” was released May, 1986. Since then, they have released 12 studio albums with ten records that hit the Billboard Top 200 Chart, and numerous singles on the Mainstream Rock, Top 40 and Triple A radio charts. Few would expect them to still be going strong – so many years after Wisconsin’s favorite musical sons first formed, but they’ve proved as energetic and determined as they did on day one. Their music is featured throughout the new Netflix original series, “The Ranch,” which features Sam Elliott, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson and Debra Winger. BoDeans now reside in a small group of bands that have managed to survive the ups and downs of the industry, remaining true to their sound and their style, for 30 years, and show no signs of slowing down. We are excited to once again have live music here at The Kent Stage, as we urge you to come join us for an energetic performance from BoDeans. Tickets can be purchased online at kentstage.org starting at $30. Doors & Box Office will open an hour before the show.    

Crash Test Dummies – 30th Anniversary Tour

With a fantastic schedule lined up for the rest of 2021, and as we continue to look for more shows this year, we can’t pass up an opportunity to bring a good show in the early part of 2022. It’s very telling in the music industry when a band carries a career over multiple decades. As Crash Test Dummies continue their storied career, we are happy to announce that they will be performing Live at The Kent Stage on March 2nd, 2022!  Crash Test Dummies  Wednesday March 2nd, 2022 at 8 P.M.  Tickets on sale – NOW Prices: Gold Circle $60, Reserved $45 It’s been 30 years since the Crash Test Dummies recorded their debut album, “The Ghosts That Haunt Me”.  Their first album garnered them their first big hit, Superman’s Song, and a Juno Award for Group of the Year.   Over three decades later, their sold out 25th Anniversary Tour for multi-Grammy nominated “God Shuffled His Feet” is proof that audiences still want to hear what they have to say. “We have been so excited with the response to the 25th anniversary tour that we knew we had to continue the party and celebrate 30 years since we made our first album. We had no idea that fans would be so enthusiastic and we are all a little gob-smacked that we can still play sold out shows to our fans and, awesomely enough, their kids,” says original member Ellen Reid. Their 2020 tour will start in Canada and will see them tour North America and Europe, where fans have been anxiously waiting. The shows will include hits and fan favourites from the band’s vast catalogue.  Original members Brad Roberts, Ellen Reid, Dan Roberts, and Mitch Dorge will be joined onstage by Stuart Cameron and Marc Arnould. “After a long absence from the road, Crash Test Dummies have begun to tour again. Not something I’d planned on, but surprisingly, at least to me, there are lots of people who, years later, still want to come and hear us. That people continue to return to see the band all these years later still stuns me. It’s very humbling. The folks that come out to these shows tell us their stories and there are many gems: many are very funny, some are very dark, and all are very personal. It’s very humbling, being in the confidence of so many people,” says lead singer/songwriter Brad Roberts. We are very excited to host Crash Test Dummies Live at The Kent Stage, while they tour throughout 2022. We look forward to seeing you all very soon! Show starts at 8 P.M, and both the door & box office will open an hour before. 

An Evening with Donnie Iris & The Cruisers

Donnie Iris & The Cruisers Friday April 16th at 8 P.M   Donnie Iris found his early successes in the industry while performing with The Jaggerz and Wild Cherry. While with Wild Cherry in the late 70’s Donnie Iris found his identity as such, after performing under his birth name Dominic Lerace for the earlier part of his career. Struggling to build off the success of “Play that Funky Music”, Wild Cherry would break up in 1979. Nevertheless Iris had already sunk his teeth into another project with fellow bandmate Mark Avsec. Their first release saw the disco-influenced single “Bring on the Eighties” backed by a cover of “Because of You” in 1979; however it failed to garner attention. Iris and Avsec decided to go in a harder direction for their next release and returned to the studio with guitarist Marty Lee Hoenes, bassist Albritton McClain and drummer Kevin Valentine, who at the time was in the band Breathless with Avsec, to record his first full-length album. This line-up would form what would become known as Donnie Iris and the Cruisers. Iris released his first album in July of 1980, titled Back on The Streets, through Midwest Records based out of Cleveland, Ohio. Thanks to the track “Ah! Leah!” receiving attention through airplay in Boston, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh, MCA Records took notice and signed Iris to a five album deal before rereleasing the album nationally in October that year. Since then Donnie Iris & The Cruisers have gone through changes in lineups, but have continued on, releasing eleven studio albums, one EP, two live albums, and two compilation albums. He continues to sporadically release new material and tour throughout Pennsylvania and Ohio.    Donnie Iris & The Cruisers return to The Kent Stage as part of our 20th Anniversary Celebration on Friday Arpil 16th, 2022. Show starts at 8 P.M, and both the doors & box office will open an hour prior to start time.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band + Nathan & The Zydeco Cha-Chas = Mardi Gras Mamba

Mardi Gras Mamba 2022! – Featuring The Dirty Dozen Brass Band & Nathan Williams & The Zydeco Cha Cha’sThe Dirty Dozen Brass Band are the pioneers of the modern New Orleans brass band movement, recognized worldwide as an unstoppable musical machine.For more than 40 years, the group has taken the traditional foundation of brass band music and incorporated it into a blend of genres including Bebop Jazz, Funk and R&B and Soul. This unique sound, described by the band as a “musical gumbo,” has allowed the Dirty Dozen to tour across five continents and more than 30 countries, record 12 studio albums and collaborate with a range of artists from Modest Mouse to Widespread Panic to Norah Jones.”The Dirty Dozen Brass Band continues to be a national treasure; steeped in both the past and the present, impossible to categorize and mighty funky.” – The New York TimesNathan Williams provides a direct connection to Zydeco’s storied pioneers such as Clifton Chenier and Boozoo Chavis. He formed The Cha-Chas back in 1985, and since then has brought his unique take on this regional South Louisiana music to all corners of the globe. From Lincoln Center in New York to The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, his music has crossed all barriers to speak to the very heart of the audience. Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Cha’s are keepers of the zydeco flame, committed to keeping their Creole heritage alive.Together, these bands create a non-stop dance fest. Blues, Cajun, New Orleans soul, zydeco and R&B from two masters of the genres.Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 day of show. The show begins at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m.

The Music of Cream

New date – June 8thCurrent tickets will be honored Refunds available at [email protected]

Marriage between members of the same gender within the United States of America

Newly married couple in Minnesota a few months after the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage.

The availability of legally recognized same-sex marriage in the United States expanded from one state in 2004 to all fifty states in 2015 through various court rulings, state legislation, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, and graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating popular votes. States each have separate marriage laws, which must adhere to rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States that recognize marriage as a fundamental right guaranteed by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as first established in the 1967 landmarkcivil rights case of Loving v. Virginia.

Civil rights campaigning in support of marriage without distinction as to sex or sexual orientation began in the 1970s.^[1] In 1972, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, the now overturned Baker v. Nelson saw the Supreme Court of the United States decline to become involved.^[2] The issue became prominent from around 1993, when the Supreme Court of Hawaii ruled in Baehr v. Lewin that it was unconstitutional under the Constitution of Hawaii for the state to abridge marriage on the basis of sex. That ruling led to federal and state actions to explicitly abridge marriage on the basis of sex in order to prevent the marriages of same-sex couples from being recognized by law, the most prominent of which was graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Goodridge v, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. Department of Public Health that it was unconstitutional under the Constitution of Massachusetts for the state to abridge marriage on the basis of sex. From 2004 through to 2015, as the tide of public opinion continued to move towards support of same-sex marriage, various state court rulings, state legislation, direct popular votes (referendums and initiatives), and federal court rulings established same-sex marriage in thirty-six of the fifty states.

The first two decades of the 21st century saw same-sex marriage receive support from prominent figures in the civil rights movement, including Coretta Scott King, John Lewis, Julian Bond, and Mildred Loving.^[3] In May 2011, national public support for same-sex marriage rose above 50% for the first time.^[4] In May 2012, the NAACP, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, the leading African-American civil rights organization, declared its support for same-sex marriage and stated that it is a civil right.^[5] In June 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down Graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating for violating the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution in the landmark civil rights case of United States v. Windsor, leading to federal recognition of same-sex marriage, with federal benefits for married couples connected to either the state of residence or the state in which the marriage was solemnized. In May 2015, national public support for same-sex marriage rose to 60% for the first time.^[6] In June 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in the landmark civil rights case of Obergefell v. Hodges that the fundamental right of same-sex couples to marry on the same terms and conditions as opposite-sex couples, with all the accompanying rights and responsibilities, is guaranteed by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The most prominent supporters of same-sex marriage are human rights and civil rights organizations, while the most prominent opponents are religious groups. The ruling of the Supreme Court in Obergefell occurred following decades of consistently rising national public support for same-sex marriage in the United States, with support continuing to rise thereafter.

A study of nationwide data from January 1999 to December 2015 revealed that the establishment of same-sex marriage is associated with a significant reduction in the rate graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating attempted suicide among teens, with the effect being concentrated among teens of a minority sexual orientation, resulting in approximately 134,000 fewer teens attempting suicide each year in the United States.

History[edit]

Main article: History of same-sex marriage in the United States

See also: Timeline of same-sex marriage in the United States

graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating width="300" height="200">

A newlywed same-sex couple celebrate their marriage in the United States.

The history of same-sex marriage in the United States dates from the early 1970s, when the first lawsuits seeking legal recognition of same-sex relationships brought the question of civil marriage rights and benefits for same-sex couples to public attention, though they proved unsuccessful.^[7] The subject became increasingly prominent in U.S. politics following the 1993 Hawaii Supreme Court decision in Baehr v. Miike that suggested the possibility that the state's prohibition might be unconstitutional. That decision was met by actions at both the federal and state level to restrict marriage to male-female couples, notably the enactment at the federal level of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state and the sixth jurisdiction in the world to legalize same-sex marriage following the Supreme Judicial Court's decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health six months earlier. Just as with the Hawaii decision, the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts provoked a reaction from opponents that resulted in further legal restrictions being written into state statutes and constitutions. The movement to obtain marriage rights for same-sex couples expanded steadily from that time until in late 2014 lawsuits had been brought in every state that still denied marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

By late 2014, same-sex marriage had become legal graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating states that contained more than 70% of the United States population. In some jurisdictions, legalization came through the action of state courts or the enactment of state legislation. More frequently it came as the result of the decisions of federal courts. On November 6, 2012, Maine, Maryland, and Washington became the first states to legalize same-sex marriage through popular vote. Same-sex marriage had been legalized in the District of Columbia and 21 Native American tribal nations as well.

The June 2013 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Windsor striking down the law barring federal recognition of same-sex marriage gave significant impetus to the progress of lawsuits that challenged state bans on same-sex marriage in federal court. Since that decision, with only a few exceptions, U.S. District Courts and Courts of Appeals have found state bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, as have several state courts. The exceptions have been a state court in Tennessee, U.S. district courts in Louisiana and Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear appeals from that circuit's decision.

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state bans on same-sex marriage, legalized it in all fifty states, and required states to honor out-of-state same-sex marriage licenses in the case Obergefell v. Hodges.

Legal issues[edit]

See also: Same-sex marriage legislation in the United States

The legal issues surrounding same-sex marriage in the United States are determined by the nation's federal system of government, in which the status of a person, including marital status, is determined in large measure by the individual states, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. Prior to 1996, the federal government did not define marriage; any marriage recognized by a state was recognized, even if that marriage was not recognized by one or more states, as was the case until 1967 with interracial marriage, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, which some states banned by statute.

Prior to 2004, same-sex graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating was not performed or recognized in any U.S. jurisdiction, but subsequently began to be performed and recognized by law in different jurisdictions through legislation, court rulings,^[8] tribal council rulings,^[9] and popular referenda.^[10][11][12]

The Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges ended all inter-state legal complications surrounding same-sex marriage, as it orders states to both perform the marriages of same-sex couples and to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples performed in other states.^[13]

Federal law[edit]

Status of same-sex marriage in the United States

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  Performed and recognized

  Recognized when performed elsewhere

  Only recognized by the state and federal governments

  (mixed jurisdiction; not performed by tribal government)

  (mixed jurisdiction; not performed or recognized by tribal government)

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According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in 2004, 1,138 federal rights and protections are conferred to U.S. citizens upon marriage; areas affected include Social Security benefits, veterans' benefits, health insurance, Medicaid, hospital visitation, estate taxes, retirement savings, pensions, family leave, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, and immigration law.^[14]

Since July 9, 2015, married same-sex couples throughout the United States have had equal access to all the federal benefits that married opposite-sex couples have.^[15]

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was enacted in 1996. DOMA's Section 2 says that no state needs to recognize the legal validity of a same-sex relationship even if recognized as marriage by another state. It purports to relieve a state of its reciprocal obligation to honor the laws of other states as required by the Constitution's Full Faith and Credit Clause.^[16] Even before DOMA, however, states sometimes refused to recognize a marriage from another jurisdiction graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating it was counter to its "strongly held public policies".^[17] Most lawsuits that sought to require a state to recognize a marriage established in another jurisdiction argue on the basis of equal protection and due process, not the Full Faith and Credit Clause.^[a]

DOMA's Section 3 defined marriage for the purposes of federal law as a union of one man and one woman.^[20] It was challenged in the federal courts. On July 8, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, 2010, Judge Joseph Tauro of the District Court of Massachusetts held that the denial of federal rights and benefits to lawfully married Massachusetts same-sex couples is unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.^[21] Beginning in 2010, eight federal courts found DOMA Section 3 unconstitutional in cases involving bankruptcy, public employee benefits, estate taxes, and immigration.^[22][23][24] On October 18, 2012, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals became the first court to hold sexual orientation to be a quasi-suspect classification and applied intermediate scrutiny to strike down Section 3 of DOMA as unconstitutional in graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating v, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. United States.^[25] The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Windsor on June 26, 2013, that Section 3 violated the Fifth Amendment.^[26][b]

As a result of the Windsor decision, married same-sex couples—regardless of domicile—have federal tax benefits (including the ability to file joint federal income tax returns), military benefits, federal employment benefits, and immigration benefits.^{[27][28][29][30]} In February 2014, the Justice Department expanded federal recognition of same-sex marriages to include bankruptcies, prison visits, survivor benefits and refusing to testify against a spouse.^[31] Likewise in June 2014, family medical leave benefits under the Family Medical Leave Act 1975 were extended to married same-sex couples.^[32] With respect to social security and veterans benefits, same-sex married couples are eligible for full benefits from the Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). Prior to the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26, 2015, the VA and SSA could provide only limited benefits to married same-sex couples living in states where same-sex marriage was not legal.^[33][34] Effective March 27, 2015, the definition of spouse under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 includes employees in a same-sex marriage regardless of state of residence.^[35][36] Following the graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating decision, the Justice Department extended all federal marriage benefits to married same-sex couples nationwide.^[15]

The federal government recognizes the marriages of same-sex couples who married in certain states in which same-sex marriage was legal for brief periods between the time a court order allowed such couples to marry and that court order was stayed, including Michigan. It also recognized marriages performed in Utah from December 20, 2013, to January 6, 2014, even while the state didn't. Under similar circumstances, it never took a position on Indiana or Wisconsin's marriages performed in brief periods, though it did recognize them once the respective states announced they would do so. It had not taken a position with respect to similar marriages in Arkansas prior to the Obergefell decision legalizing and recognizing same-sex marriages in all fifty states.^[37]

Opponents of same-sex marriage have worked to prevent individual states from recognizing same-sex unions by attempting to amend the United States Constitution to restrict marriage to heterosexual unions. In 2006, the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have prohibited states from recognizing same-sex marriages, was approved by the Senate Judiciary Graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating on a party-line vote and was debated by the full Senate, but was ultimately defeated in both houses of Congress.^[38] On April 2, 2014, the Alabama House of Representatives adopted a resolution calling for a constitutional convention to propose an amendment to ban same-sex marriage nationwide.^[39]

State and territorial recognition[edit]

Further information: Same-sex marriage law in the United States by state

Same-sex marriages are licensed graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating and recognized by all U.S. states and the District of Columbia, as well as all Graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. territories except American Samoa.^[40] On July 3, 2015, the Attorney General for American Samoa stated "we are reviewing the opinion [Obergefell v. Hodges] and its potential applicability to American Samoa, and will provide comment when it is completed."^[41] Currently, same-sex marriages are neither licensed nor recognized there. On January 6, 2016, Alabama's Chief Justice, Roy Moore, issued a ruling forbidding state officials from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.^[42] The ruling had no effect as all Alabama counties continued either issuing marriage licenses to all couples or not issuing licenses at graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. In May 2016, Moore was charged with ethics violations by the state Judicial Inquiry Commission for the ruling,^[43] subsequently being suspended from the bench for the remainder of his term on September 30 of that year.^[44]

Counties not issuing marriage licenses[edit]

As of 2020, there are apparently no counties in the United States that do not (or would not) register the marriages of same-sex couple.

• Officials of one Texas county, Irion, issued marriage licenses, but claimed they would refuse same-sex couples. Starting in 2017, they refused to comment on what they would do if a same-sex couple were to apply for license.^[45] However, as of March 2020, Irion County clerk stated she would issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and the form available on online dating income office's website was not gender specific and stated no restrictions as to the genders of the applicants.^[46]
• Officials in several Alabama counties initially stopped issuing any marriage graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating rather than issue them to same-sex couples. By 2017, the number of counties doing this to avoid issuing them to same-sex couples dropped to eight.^[47][48] This was in accordance with a state law, which was passed in 1961 to preserve racial segregation by making it optional graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating county clerks to issue marriage licenses.^[49] The Alabama Legislature passed a bill replacing marriage licenses with marriage certificates in May 2019.^[50] These final eight counties resumed allowing couples to marry on August 29, 2019.
• Several Kentucky counties initially refused to marry same-sex couples. In response, Kentucky reformed its marriage license forms and removed the name of the county clerk from the licenses. As of June 2016, Chris Hartmann, director of the Kentucky-based Fairness Campaign, said that to his knowledge "there are no counties where marriage licenses are being denied" in his state.^[51]

Parental rights[edit]

Main article: LGBT adoption in the United States

Post-Obergefell, six states have, on occasion, attempted to deny same-sex couples full adoption rights to varying degrees. In Arkansas, Florida, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, Indiana, and Wisconsin, same-sex couples have been met with rejection when trying to get both parents' names listed on the birth certificate. In V.L. v. E.L., Alabama's highest court attempted to void an adoption decree obtained by a same-sex couple in Georgia, but the U.S. Supreme Court reversed, restoring joint custody to the adoptive mother on March 7, 2016. Mississippi had once banned same-sex couples from adopting, but the law requiring this was ruled unconstitutional by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi on March 31, 2016. With that ruling, adoption by same-sex couples became legal in all fifty states.^[52][53]

On June 26, 2017, the Supreme Court ruled by a 6–3 vote in the case of Pavan v. Smith that under their decision in Obergefell, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, same-sex couples must be treated equally to opposite-sex couples in the issuance of birth certificates. In December 2016, the Supreme Court of Arkansas upheld a state law only allowing opposite-sex couples to be automatically listed as parents on their children's birth certificates, while prohibiting same-sex couples from being allowed the same on an equal basis, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. The Graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating Court summarily reversed the Arkansas Supreme Court, finding that the disparity in treatment violated their decision in Obergefell.^[54]

Tribal law[edit]

Main article: Same-sex marriage in tribal nations in the United States

The Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the states and territories did not legalize same-sex marriage in Native American tribal nations. In the United States, Congress (not the federal courts) has legal authority over Native reservations. Thus, unless Congress passes a law regarding same-sex marriage on such reservations, federally recognized Native American tribes have the legal right to form their own marriage laws.^[55] As of the time of the Obergefell ruling, 25 tribal nations legally recognized same-sex marriage. Some tribes have passed legislation specifically addressing same-sex relationships and some specify that graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating law and jurisdiction govern tribal marriages. As of October 2019, same-sex marriage is legally recognized in at least 44 tribal nations.

Local laws prior to Obergefell v. Hodges[edit]

State laws regarding same-sex marriage in the United States prior to Obergefell v. Hodges¹

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  Same-sex marriage legal

  Same-sex marriage ban overturned, decision stayed indefinitely

  Same-sex marriage banned where graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating circuit court has found similar bans unconstitutional

  Same-sex marriage banned

  Same-sex marriage legality complicated

---

¹Native American tribal nationshave laws pertaining to same-sex marriage independent of state law. The federal government recognizes same-sex marriages, regardless of the current state of residence.

Prior to Obergefell, same-sex marriage was legal to at least some degree in thirty-eight states, one territory (Guam) and the District of Columbia; of the states, Missouri, Kansas, and Alabama had restrictions. Until graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating States v. Windsor, it was only legal in 12 states and the District of Columbia. Beginning in July 2013, over forty federal and state courts cited Windsor to strike down state bans on the licensing or recognition of same-sex marriage. Missouri recognized same-sex marriages from out of state and same-sex marriages licensed by the City of St. Louis under two separate state court orders; two other jurisdictions issued such licenses as well. In Kansas, marriage licenses were available to same-sex couples in most counties, but the state did not recognize their validity. Some counties in Alabama issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples for three weeks until the state Supreme Court ordered probate judges to stop doing so. That court's ruling did not address the recognition of same-sex marriages already licensed in Alabama, but referred to them as "purported 'marriage licenses'".^[56] In two additional states, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, same-sex marriages were previously legal between the time their bans were struck down and then stayed. Michigan recognized the validity of more than 300 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples and those marriages. Arkansas recognized the more than 500 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples there,^[57] and the Federal Government had not taken a position on Arkansas's marriage licenses.

State or territory	Population[58]	Date of Enactment/Ruling	Date Effective	Legalization method	Details
Alaska	736,732	October 12, 2014	October 17, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska ruling in Hamby v. Parnell.[59]
Arizona	6,731,484	October 17, 2014	October 17, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona ruling in Connolly v. Jeanes and in Majors v. Horne.[60]
California	38,802,500	May 15, 2008	June 16, 2008	State court decision → overturned by constitutional ban	California Supreme Court ruling in In re Marriage Cases. Ceased via state constitutional amendment after Proposition 8 passed on November 5, 2008.
		August 4, 2010	June 28, 2013	Federal court decision → legislative statute	U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruling in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, finding Proposition 8 unconstitutional, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. Stayed during appeal, affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals as Perry v. Brown. Certiorari granted and appealed as Hollingsworth v, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. Perry to the U.S. Supreme Court; the high court dismissed Hollingsworth for lack of standing and vacated the Ninth Circuit decision below, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, resulting with the original decision in Perry left intact.[61] Gender-neutral marriage bill passed by the California State Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of California took effect on January 1, 2015.[62]
Colorado	5,355,866	July graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, 2014	October 7, 2014	State court decision	Colorado district court ruling in Brinkman v. Long
		July 23, 2014		Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado ruling in Burns v. Hickenlooper
Connecticut	3,596,677	October 10, 2008	November 12, 2008	State court decision → legislative statute	Connecticut Supreme Court ruling in Kerrigan v. Graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating of Public Health; incorporated into state statutes in April 2009.
Delaware	935,614	May 7, 2013	July 1, 2013	Legislative statute	Passed by the Delaware General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor of Delaware.
District of Columbia	658,893	December graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, 2009	March 9, 2010	Legislative statute	Passed by the Council of the District of Columbia.
Florida	19,893,297	August 21, 2014	January 6, 2015	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida ruling in Brenner v. Scott.
Guam	165,124 (not included in population total)	June 5, 2015	June 9, 2015	Binding federal court precedent → actions of territorial officials → federal court decision → legislative statute	Attorney General Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson deferred to the controlling precedent set by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Latta v. Otter, ordering that graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating licenses for same-sex couples be processed immediately beginning on April 15, 2015.[63]District Court of Guam ruling in Aguero v. Calvo upholding the earlier decision by the Ninth Circuit.[64]Marriage Equality Act, incorporating the decision, passed by the Guam Legislature went into effect on August 27, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, 2015.[65]
Hawaii	1,419,561	November 13, 2013	December 2, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating statute	Hawaii Marriage Equality Act passed by the Hawaii State Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of Hawaii.
Idaho	1,634,464	October 7, 2014	October 15, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho ruling in Latta v, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. Otter,[66] upheld by the Ninth Circuit.[67]
Illinois	12,880,580	November 20, 2013	June 1, 2014	Legislative statute	Passed by the Illinois General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor of Illinois.
Indiana	6,596,855	September 4, 2014	October 6, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana ruling in Baskin v. Bogan. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's ruling.[68]
Iowa	3,107,126	April 3, 2009	April 27, 2009	State court decision	Iowa Supreme Court ruling in Varnum v, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. Brien. One same-sex couple obtained a marriage licensed and married before initial ruling was stayed.[69]
Maine	1,330,089	November 6, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, 2012	December 29, 2012	Initiative statute	Proposed by initiative as referendum Question 1, approved.
Maryland	5,976,407	November 6, 2012	January 1, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, 2013	Legislative statute → referendum	Civil Marriage Protection Act passed by the Maryland General Assembly; petitioned to referendum Question 6, upheld.
Massachusetts	6,745,408	November 18, 2003	May 17, 2004	State court decision	Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health.
Minnesota	5,457,173	May 14, 2013	August 1, 2013	Legislative statute	Passed by the Minnesota Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of Minnesota.
Montana	1,023,579	November 19, 2014	November 19, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Montana ruling in Rolando v. Fox.[70]
Nevada	2,839,099	October 7, 2014	October 9, 2014	Federal court decision → legislative statute	Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Sevcik v. Sandoval. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada's ruling.[71] Gender-neutral marriage bill passed by the Nevada Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of Nevada went into effect on July 1, 2017.[72][73]
New Hampshire	1,326,813	June 3, 2009	January 1, 2010	Legislative statute	Passed by the New Hampshire General Court and signed into law by the Governor of New Hampshire.
New Jersey	8,938,175	September 27, 2013	October 21, 2013	State court decision	New Jersey Superior Court ruling in Garden State Equality v. Dow.
New Mexico	2,085,572	December 19, 2013	December 19, 2013	State court decision → legislative statute	New Mexico Supreme Court ruling in Griego v. Oliver. Gender-neutral marriage bill passed by the New Mexico Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of New Mexico went into effect on July 1, 2019.[74]
New York	19,746,227	June 24, 2011	July 24, 2011	Legislative statute	Marriage Equality Act passed by the New York State Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of New York.
North Carolina	9,943,964	October 10, 2014	October 10, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina ruling in General Synod of the United Church of Christ v. Cooper.[75]
Oklahoma	3,878,051	July 18, 2014	October 6, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma ruling in Bishop v. Oklahoma. The Tenth Circuit affirmed the ruling in Bishop v. Smith.[76]
Oregon	3,970,239	May 19, 2014	May 19, 2014	Federal court decision → legislative statute	U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon ruling in Geiger v. Kitzhaber. Gender-neutral marriage bill passed by the Oregon Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of Oregon went into effect on January 1, 2016.[77]
Pennsylvania	12,787,209	May 20, 2014	May 20, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania ruling in Whitewood v. Wolf.
Rhode Island	1,055,173	May 2, 2013	August 1, 2013	Legislative statute	Passed by the Rhode Island General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor of Rhode Island.
South Carolina	4,832,482	November 12, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, 2014	November 20, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina ruling in Condon v. Haley.[78]
Utah	2,942,902	June 25, 2014	October 6, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Utah ruling in Kitchen v. Herbert. Marriages licensed between December 20, 2013, and January 6, 2014. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court ruling in Kitchen v. Herbert.
Vermont	626,562	April 7, 2009	September 1, 2009	Legislative statute	Passed by the Vermont General Assembly, concept of similarity in online dating profiles Governor Jim Douglas' veto.
Virginia	8,326,289	July 28, 2014	October 6, 2014	Federal court decision → Legislative statute	U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruling in Bostic v. Rainey.[79] The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the U.S. district court ruling in Bostic v. Schaefer.[80] Bill repealing the ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions passed by the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor of Virginia graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating take effect on July 1, 2020.[81]
Washington	7,061,530	November 6, 2012	December 6, 2012	Legislative statute → referendum	Passed by the Washington State Legislature; suspended by petition and referred to Referendum 74, approved.
West Virginia	1,850,326	October 9, 2014	October 9, 2014	Binding federal court precedent → actions of state officials → federal court decision	Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, recognizing the precedent established by the Fourth Circuit ruling in Bostic v. Schaefer, dropped their defense of the state's same-sex marriage ban.[82] The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia in McGee v. Cole overturned West Virginia's statutory ban on same-sex marriage on November 7, 2014.[83]
Wisconsin	5,757,564	September 4, 2014	October 6, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin ruling in Wolf v. Walker. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's ruling.[84]
Wyoming	584,153	October 17, 2014	October 21, 2014	Federal court decision	U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming ruling in Guzzo v. Mead.[85]
Total	221,434,635 (69.4% of the U.S. population)

Note: This table shows only states that licensed and recognized same-sex marriages or had legalized them, before Obergefell v. Hodges. It does not include states that recognized same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions but did not license them.

Debate[edit]

Support[edit]

In the United States and Canada, professional organizations including the American Anthropological Association, the American Counseling Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Nursing, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the Canadian Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and the American Academy of Family Physicians have stated that the scientific evidence supports the following conclusions: homosexuality is a natural and normal human sexuality, sexual orientation is not a choice, gay people form stable and committed relationships that are essentially equivalent to the relationships of heterosexuals, same-sex parents are no less capable than opposite-sex parents to raise children, no civilization or viable social order depends on restricting marriage to heterosexuals, and the children of same-sex couples fare just as well or even better than the children of opposite-sex couples.^[86]

Prominent figures in the civil graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating movement have expressed their support for same-sex marriage. In 2004, Coretta Scott King, a leader of the civil rights movement and the widow of Up dating old allen rakes Luther King Jr., expressed her support for same-sex marriage and publicly denounced attempts to define marriage as the "union of a man and a woman" as a form of "gay bashing".^[87] In 2007, Mildred Loving, the joint plaintiff alongside her husband Richard Loving in the landmarkcivil rights case of Loving v. Virginia in 1967, in which the Supreme Court of the United States struck down all state bans on inter-racial marriage, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, issued a statement on the 40th anniversary of the ruling in which she expressed her support for same-sex marriage and described it as a civil right akin to inter-racial marriage, stating that "I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry".^[88] In 2009, Julian Bond, a leader of the civil rights movement and a chairman of the NAACP, expressed his support for same-sex marriage and stated that "gay rights are civil rights".^[89] In 2015, John Lewis, a leader of the civil rights movement and a chairman of the SNCC, welcomed the outcome of the landmarkcivil rights case of Obergefell v. Hodges in which the Supreme Court of the United States struck down all state bans on same-sex marriage, stating that "races don't fall in love, genders don't fall in love—people fall in love".^[90]

The NAACP, the leading African-American civil rights organization, has pledged its support for gay rights and same-sex marriage, stating that they "support marriage equality consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution", and has declared that same-sex marriage is a civil right.^[5]

The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT rights organization in the United States, states that "many same-sex couples want the right to legally marry because they are in love — many, in fact, have spent the last 10, 20 or 50 years with that person — and they want to honor their relationship in the greatest way our society has to offer, by making a public commitment to stand together in good times and graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, through all the joys and challenges family life brings."^[91]

Journalist Gail Mathabane likens prohibitions on same-sex marriage to past prohibitions on interracial marriage in the United States.^[92] Author Fernando Espuelas argues that same-sex marriage should be allowed because it recognizes the civil right of a minority.^[93] Historian Nancy Cott rejects alternatives to same-sex marriage (such as civil unions), reasoning that "there really is no comparison, because there is nothing that is like marriage except marriage."^[94]

Role of social media[edit]

Supporters of same-sex marriage successfully utilized social media websites such as Facebook to help achieve their aims.^[95] Some have argued that the successful use of social media by LGBT rights organizations played a key role in the defeat of religion-based opposition.^[96]

One of the largest scale uses of social media to mobilize support for same-sex marriage preceded and coincided with the arrival at the U.S. Supreme Court of high-profile legal cases for Proposition 8 and DOMA in March 2013. The "red equal sign" project started by the Human Rights Campaign was an electronic campaign primarily based on Facebook that encouraged users to change their profile images to a red equal sign to express support for same-sex marriage.^[97] At the time of the court hearings, an estimated 2.5 million Facebook users changed their profile images to a red equal sign.^[98]

Opposition[edit]

Opposition to same-sex marriage is based on claims such as the beliefs that homosexuality is unnatural and abnormal, that the recognition of same-sex unions will promote homosexuality in society, and that children are better off when raised by opposite-sex couples.^[99] While some researchers question the definitiveness of the evidence,^[100] others assert that science has shown that homosexuality is a natural and normal human sexuality, that sexual orientation cannot be chosen, and that the children of same-sex couples fare just as well or even better than the children of opposite-sex couples.^[86]

Some of the opponents of same-sex marriage are religious groups such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Catholic Church, and the Southern Baptist Convention, all of which desire for marriage to remain restricted to opposite-sex marriages.^[101] However, there are faith-based supporters of LGBT equality and LGBT people of faith within every faith group.^[102]

The funding of the amendment referendum campaigns has been an issue of great dispute. Both judges and the IRS have ruled that it is either questionable or illegal for campaign contributions to be shielded by anonymity.^{[103][104][105]}

Politicians and media figures[edit]

The White House, illuminated in rainbow colors, on the evening of the Obergefellruling, June 26, 2015.

President Barack Obama's views on same-sex marriage varied over the course of his political career and became more consistently supportive of same-sex marriage rights over time. In the 1990s, he had supported same-sex marriage while campaigning for the Illinois Senate.^[106][107] During the 2008 presidential campaign, he was opposed to same-sex marriage,^[108] but he also opposed the 2008 California referendum that aimed at reversing a court ruling establishing same-sex marriage there.^[109] In 2009, he opposed two opposing federal legislative proposals that would have banned or established same-sex marriage nationally, stating that each state had to decide the issue.^[110][111] In December 2010, he expressed support for civil unions with rights equivalent to marriage and for federal recognition of how to stalk someone you meet online dating profile relationships. He opposed a federal constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.^[112] He also stated that his position on same-sex marriage was "evolving" and that he recognized that civil unions from the perspective of same-sex couples was "not enough".^[113] On May 9, 2012, President Obama became the first sitting president to support same-sex marriage. He still said the legal question belonged to the states.^[114] In October 2014, Obama told an interviewer that his view had changed:

Ultimately, I think the Equal Protection Clause does guarantee same-sex marriage in all fifty states. But, as you know, courts have always been strategic. There have been times where the stars were aligned and the Court, like a thunderbolt, issues a ruling like Brown v. Board of Education, but that's pretty rare. And, given the direction of society, for the Court to have allowed the process to play out the way it has may make the shift less controversial and more lasting.^[115]

— President Barack Obama, on the matter of same-sex marriage as a constitutional question

Shortly after winning the 2016 election, President Donald Trump said he's "fine" with same-sex marriage and believes it to be settled law: "It's law. It was settled in the Supreme Court. I mean, it's done."^[116] This somewhat contrasted with a previous statement he made in June 2015, after Obergefell v. Hodges, in which he said he's personally for "traditional marriage" and that he believed same-sex marriage should be left to the states.^[117] In that same statement, however, Trump admitted that overturning Obergefell is not realistic. Several of his federal appointments have also, subsequently, announced they will uphold same-sex marriage and enforce the Supreme Court ruling, while still being personally against same-sex marriage,^[118] namely Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.^[119]

Former presidents Bill Clinton,^[120]Jimmy Carter,^[121] and Barack Obama, former vice presidents Dick Cheney,^[122]Al Gore,^[123]Walter Mondale,^[124] and Joe Biden graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating voiced their support for same-sex marriage, as have former first ladies Laura Bush,^[125]Hillary Clinton,^[126]Michelle Obama,^[127] and Nancy Reagan.^[128] Former President George H. W. Bush and his wife former First Lady Barbara Bush have served as witnesses to a same-sex wedding, but neither has publicly stated whether this means they support same-sex marriage in general;^[129]George W. Bush reportedly offered to officiate the same wedding,^[130] but has similarly not made a public statement regarding his position on the issue (as president, he was opposed). Fifteen U.S, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. senators announced their support in the spring of 2013.^[131] By April 2013, a majority of the Senate had expressed support for same-sex marriage.^[132] Senator Rob Portman of Ohio became the first sitting Republican senator to endorse same-sex marriage in March 2013,^[133] followed by Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois in April,^[134] Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska in June,^[135] and Senator Susan Collins of Maine a year later.^[136]

Politicians who have notably opposed same-sex marriage have included Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, and Sarah Palin.

Prominent politicians who have shifted from opposing to supporting same-sex marriage include Republican Senator Rob Portman, and Republican Representative Bob Barr (the author of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act).

In an interview on The O'Reilly Factor in August 2010, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, when Glenn Beck was asked if he "believe(s) that gay marriage is a threat to [this] country in any way", he stated, "No I don't. . I believe that Thomas Jefferson said: 'If it neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket what difference is it to me?'"^[137][138]

Studies[edit]

Adolescent attempted suicide[edit]

The establishment of same-sex marriage is associated with a significant reduction in the rate of attempted suicide among teenagers, with the effect being concentrated among teens of a minority sexual orientation. A study of nationwide data from across the United States from January 1999 to December 2015 revealed that the rate of attempted suicide among all students in grades 9–12 declined by 7% and the rate of attempted suicide among those of a minority sexual orientation in grades 9–12 declined by 14% in states which established same-sex marriage, resulting in approximately 134,000 fewer teens attempting suicide each year in the United States. The researchers took advantage of the gradual manner in which same-sex marriage was established in the United States (expanding from one state in 2004 to all fifty states in 2015) to compare the rate of attempted suicide among teens in each state over the time period studied. Once same-sex online dating ahmedabad was established in a particular state, the reduction in the rate of attempted suicide among teens in that state became permanent. No reduction in the rate of attempted suicide among teens occurred in a particular state until that state recognized same-sex marriage. The lead researcher of the study observed that "laws that have the greatest impact on gay adults may make gay kids feel more hopeful for the future".^{[139][140][141][142][143]}

Economic impact on same-sex couples[edit]

Until the Supreme Court's June 2013 ruling in United States v. Windsor required the Federal Government to treat lawfully married same-sex couples on an equal basis with lawfully married opposite-sex couples, same-sex married couples faced severe disadvantages. The Federal Government did not recognize those marriages for any purpose. According to a 1997 General Accounting Office study, at least 1,049 U.S. federal laws and regulations include references to marital status.^[144] A 2004 study by the Congressional Budget Office found 1,138 statutory provisions "in which marital status is a factor in determining or receiving 'benefits, rights, and privileges.'"^[145] Many of these laws govern property rights, benefits, and taxation. Same-sex couples whose marriages were not recognized by the Federal Government were ineligible for spousal and survivor Social Security benefits and were ineligible for the benefits angelina jolie dating real estate agent the spouse of a federal government employee.^[145] One study found that the difference in Social Security income for same-sex couples compared to opposite-sex married couples was per year.^[146]

Compared to similarly situated opposite-sex married couples, same-sex couples faced the following financial and legal disadvantages:

• Legal costs associated with obtaining domestic partner documents to gain legal abilities granted automatically by legal marriage, including power of attorney, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating care decision-making, and inheritance^[146]
• A person can inherit an unlimited amount from a deceased spouse without incurring an estate tax, but was subject to graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating if inheriting from a same-sex partner^[145]
• Same-sex couples were not eligible to file jointly as a married couple and thus could not take the advantages of lower tax rates when the individual income of the partners differs significantly^[145][c]
• Employer-provided health insurance coverage for a same-sex partner incurred federal income tax^[145]
• Higher health costs associated with lack of insurance and preventive care: 20% of same-sex couples had a member who was uninsured compared to 10% of married opposite-sex couples^[146]
• Inability to protect jointly owned home from loss due to costs of potential medical catastrophe^[146]
• Inability of a U.S. citizen to sponsor a same-sex spouse for citizenship^[146]

Some 7,400 companies were offering spousal benefits to same-sex couples as of 2008. In states that recognized same-sex marriages, same-sex couples could continue to receive those same benefits only if they married.^[148] Only 18% of private employers offered domestic partner health care benefits.^[146]

Same-sex couples face the same financial constraints of legal marriage as opposite-sex married couples, including the marriage penalty in taxation.^[145] While social service providers usually do not graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating one partner's assets toward the income means test for welfare and disability assistance for the other partner, a legally married couple's joint assets are i gave up online dating for the pizza boy used in calculating whether a married individual qualifies for assistance.^[145]

A 2019 study found an increase in employment among same-sex couples after the legalization of same-sex marriage. The author of the study provided additional evidence suggesting that this change in employment was driven by a decline in discrimination.^[149]

Economic impact on the state and federal governments[edit]

The 2004 Congressional Budget Office study, working from an assumption "that about 0.6 percent of adults would enter into same-sex marriages if they had the opportunity" (an assumption in which they admitted "significant uncertainty") estimated that legalizing same-sex marriage throughout the United States "would improve the budget's bottom line to a small extent: by less than $1 billion in each of the next 10 years". This result reflects an increase in net government revenues (increased income taxes due to marriage penalties more than offsetting decreased tax revenues arising from postponed estate taxes). Marriage recognition would increase the government expenses for Social Security and Federal Employee Health Benefits but that increase would be more than made up for by decreased expenses for Medicaid, Medicare, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, and Supplemental Security Income.^[145]

According to a study published in May 2020 by the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy, the legalization of same-sex marriage boosted state and local economies by an estimated 3.8 billion dollars. The Williams Institute estimated that the 300,000 same-sex couples who married in the U.S. since 2015 generated about $3.2 billion for local and state economies. In addition, traveling wedding guests spent an additional $544 million, and about 45,000 jobs were supported by same-sex weddings. graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating was generated in state and local taxes.^{[150][151][152]}

Mental health[edit]

Based in part on research that has been conducted on the adverse effects of stigmatization of gays and lesbians, numerous prominent social science organizations have issued position statements supporting same-sex marriage and opposing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation; these organizations include the American Psychoanalytic Association and the American Psychological Association.^[153]

Several psychological studies have shown that an increase in exposure to negative conversations, media messages, and negative reactions among peers about same-sex marriage creates a harmful environment for LGBT people that may affect their health and well-being, especially among its younger members.^{[154][155][156]}

One study surveyed more than 1,500 lesbian, gay and bisexual adults across the nation and found that respondents from the 25 states that have outlawed same-sex marriage had the highest reports of "minority stress"—the chronic social stress that results from minority-group stigmatization—as well as general psychological distress. According to the study, the negative campaigning that comes with a ban is directly responsible for the increased stress. Past research has shown that minority stress is linked to health risks such as risky sexual behavior and substance abuse.^[157]

Two other studies examined personal reports from LGBT adults and their families living in Memphis, Tennessee, immediately after a successful 2006 ballot campaign banned same-sex marriage. Most respondents reported feeling alienated from their communities. The studies also found that families experienced a kind of secondary minority stress, says Jennifer Arm, a counseling graduate student at the University of Memphis.^[158]

At the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial, expert witness Ilan Meyer testified that the mental health outcomes for gays and lesbians would improve if laws such as Proposition 8 did not exist because "when people are exposed to more stress.they are more likely to get sick." and that particular situation is consistent with laws that say to gay people "you are not welcome here, your relationships are not valued." Such laws have "significant power", he said.^[159]

Physical health[edit]

In 2009, a pair of economists at Emory University tied the passage of state bans on same-sex marriage in the US to an increase in the rates of HIV/AIDS infection.^[160][161] The study linked the passage of same-sex marriage ban in a state to an increase in the annual HIV rate within that state of roughly 4 cases per 100,000 population.

A study by the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health found that gay men in Massachusetts visited health clinics significantly less often following the legalization of same-sex marriage in that state.^[162]

In popular culture[edit]

The Fox sitcom Roc was the first sitcom to feature a same-sex marriage in 1991.^[163] Since then, several shows and series have featured same-sex marriages, including amongst others Married.with Children, Roseanne ("December Bride"), Glee, Friends ("The One with the Lesbian Wedding"), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Modern Family, The Simpsons ("There's Something About Marrying"), The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Brothers & Sisters, Grey's Anatomy, Will & Grace, Conan, Steven Universe, Shameless, The Graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, etc.^[164][165]

The 22nd season premier of the PBS animated-show Arthur featured the marriage of teacher Mr. Ratburn and his male partner.^[166] Alabama's public television channel refused to air the episode.^[167]

Marriage statistics[edit]

There is no complete data on the number of same-sex marriages conducted in the United States. Marriages and divorces are recorded by states, counties, and territories, plus New York City and the District of Columbia, but not by the Federal Government. States such as Oregon do not distinguish between opposite-sex and same-sex marriages in their official records. The legal records on marriage and divorce belong to the states.^[168] In August 2016, the Treasury Department estimated the number of same-sex marriages by linking the tax returns of same-sex couples who had filed jointly in 2014 with their Social Security records. (Although this method dating french seductress who loves sex couples who file singly, these are small in number; of all married couples who file taxes, 97.5% file jointly.) This research showed that in 2014 there were about 183,280 married same-sex couples in the country, or "roughly a third of 1 percent of all marriages" according to The New York Times.^[169] Numbers from 2015 showed a large increase to 250,450 marriages. According to the statistics, female couples were four times more likely to have children than male couples. Additionally, male couples earned a pretax average of $165,960 per year, while lesbian couples earned $118,415 and straight couples earned $115,210, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. The highest rates of female same-sex marriage were found in Oakland (2.1% of all marriages), Seattle, San Francisco, Springfield (MA) and Portland (OR), whereas gay male marriages were most frequent in San Francisco (3.2%), Washington D.C., New York City, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, Seattle and Fort Lauderdale.^[170]

The United States Census Bureau has not sure what to write about online dating data on unmarried same-sex households since 2005. Since 2013 following United States v. Windsor, the Bureau began recording married same-sex households in its Same-Sex Couples report. It recorded about 252,000 same-sex spouses in 2013; 335,000 in 2014; 425,000 in 2015; 487,000 in 2016; 555,000 in 2017; 593,000 in 2018. In 2018, the states of California, Texas and New York had the highest total number of same-sex households, whereas Wyoming, Vermont, South Dakota and Connecticut had the most married same-sex households in comparison to unmarried households (92.4% of Wyoming same-sex households were married, followed by Vermont at 79.3%, South Dakota at 77.8% and Connecticut at 70.7%). Nationally, 59.5% of cohabiting same-sex couples were married.^[171]

The Population Reference Bureau reported that by October 2015 approximately 486,000 same-sex marriages had taken place in the United States. It estimated that 45% of all same-sex couples in the country were married at that time.^[172]

According to Gallup, the graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating of cohabiting same-sex couples who are married rose from 38% in 2015 to 49% in 2016 and to 61% in 2017.^[173]

Case law[edit]

See also: Same-sex marriage legislation in the United States § Lawsuits seeking to overturn statutory bans

United States federal and state case law regarding same-sex marriage:

1970s[edit]

• Anonymous v. Anonymous, 67 Misc.2d 982 (N.Y. 1971). The law makes no provision for a "marriage" between persons of the same sex.
• Baker v. Nelson, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, 191 N.W.2d 185 (Minn. 1971). Upholds a Minnesota law defining adjusting to dating life after being single as the union of a man and a woman. (Overruled by graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating v. Hodges in 2015; see below)
• Jones v. Hallahan, 501 S.W.2d 588 (Ky. 1973). Upholds the denial of a marriage license to two women graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating Kentucky based on dictionary definitions of marriage, despite the fact that state statutes do not specify the gender of marriage partners.^[174]
• Frances B. v. Mark B., 78 Misc.2d 112 (1974). Marriage is and always has been a contract between a man and a woman.
• Singer v. Hara, 522 P.2d 1187 (Wash. Ct. App. 1974). The historical definition of marriage is between one man and one woman, and same-sex couples are inherently ineligible to marry. This ban does not constitute sex discrimination.

1980s[edit]

• Adams v. Howerton, 673 F.2d 1036 (9th Cir. 1982), cert. denied, 458 U.S. 1111. A same-sex marriage does not make one a "spouse" under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
• De Santo v. Barnsley, 476 A.2d 952 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1984). Same-sex couples cannot divorce because they cannot form a common law marriage.^[175]

1990s[edit]

• In re Estate of Cooper, 149 Misc.2d 282 (Sur. Ct. Kings Co. 1990). The state has a compelling interest in fostering the traditional institution of marriage and prohibiting same-sex marriage.
• Baehr v. Lewin, 852 P.2d 44 (Haw. 1993). A statute limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples violates the Hawaii Constitution's equal protection clause unless the state can show that the statute is both justified by compelling state interests and also narrowly tailored. This ruling prompted the adoption of Hawaii's constitutional amendment allowing the State Legislature to restrict marriage to different-sex couples and the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
• Dean v. District of Columbia, 653 A.2d 307 (D.C. 1995). DC does not authorise same-sex marriage; denial of a marriage license does not violate the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution.
• Storrs v. Holcomb, 645 N.Y.S.2d 286 (App. Div. 1996). New York does not recognize or authorize same-sex marriage. Overturned in part by Martinez v. County of Monroe in 2008.
• In re Estate of Hall, 707 N.E.2d 201, 206 (Ill. App. Ct. san valentin sex dating. Illinois does not recognize a same-sex marriage. The petitioner's claim to be in a same-sex marriage was not in a marriage recognized by law.
• Baker v. Vermont, 170 Vt. 194; 744 A.2d 864 (Vt. 1999), graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. The Common Benefits Clause of the Constitution of Vermont requires that same-sex couples be granted the same legal rights as married persons, though it need not be called marriage.

2000s[edit]

• Frandsen v. County of Brevard, 828 So. 2d 757 (Fla. 2001). The Florida Constitution will not be construed to recognize same-sex marriage; sex classifications not subject to strict scrutiny under the Constitution.
• Burns v. Burns, 560 S.E.2d 47 (Ga. Ct. App. 2002). Marriage is the union of one man and one woman.
• In re Estate of Gardiner, 42 P.3d 120 (Kan. 2002). A post-operative male-to-female transsexual is not a woman within the meaning of the statutes and cannot validly marry a man.
• Rosengarten v. Downes, 806 A.2d 1066 (Conn. Ct. Graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. 2002). Connecticut will not dissolve a Vermont civil union.
• Standhardt v. Superior Court ex rel. County of Maricopa, 77 P.3d 451 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2003). The Constitution of Arizona does not provide the right to same-sex marriage.
• Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health, 798 N.E.2d 941 (Mass. 2003). The denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples violated provisions of the Massachusetts State Constitution guaranteeing individual liberty and equality, and it was not rationally related to a legitimate online dating site for anime fans and gamers interest.
• Morrison v. Sadler, 821 N.E.2d 15 (Ind. Super. Ct, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. 2005). Indiana's Defense of Marriage Act is valid.
• Langan v. St. Vincent's Hospital, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, 802 N.Y.S.2d 476 (App. Div. 2005). For the purposes of New York's wrongful death statute, the survivor partner from a Vermont civil union lacks standing as a "spouse".
• Citizens for Equal Protection v. Bruning, 455 F.3d 859 (8th Cir. 2006). Nebraska's Initiative Measure 416 does not violate the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, was not a bill of attainder, and does not violate the First Amendment.^[176]
• Lewis v. Harris, 908 A.2d 196 (N.J. 2006). Prohibiting same-sex marriage does not violate the New Jersey Constitution, but the state must extend all the rights and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples. The New Jersey Legislature had 180 days to amend the marriage laws or create a "parallel structure".
• Andersen v. King County, 138 P.3d 963 (Wash. 2006). Washington's Defense of Marriage Act does not violate the State Constitution.
• Hernandez v. Robles, 855 N.E.2d 1 (N.Y. 2006). The New York Constitution does not require that marriage rights be extended to same-sex couples.^[177]
• Conaway v. Deane, 932 A.2d 571 (Md. 2007). Upholds a Maryland law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
• Martinez v. County of Monroe, 850 N.Y.S.2d 740 (App. Div. 2008). Because New York recognizes the marriages of opposite-sex couples from other jurisdictions, it must do the same for same-sex couples.^[178]
• In re Marriage Cases, 183 Graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating 384 (Cal. 2008). Limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples is invalid under the equal protection clause of the California Constitution. Full marriage rights, not merely domestic partnership, must be offered to same-sex couples.^[179]
• Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health, 957 A.2d 407 (Conn. 2008). The availability of civil unions but not marriage to same-sex partners is a violation of the equality and liberty provisions of the Connecticut Constitution.
• Strauss v. Horton, 207 P.3d 48 (Cal. 2009). Proposition 8 was validly adopted, and marriages contracted before its adoption remain valid.^[180]
• Varnum v, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. Brien, 763 N.W.2d 862 (Iowa 2009). Barring same-sex couples from marriage violates the equal protection provisions of the Iowa Constitution. Equal protection requires full marriage, rather than civil unions or some other substitute, for same-sex couples.

2010s[edit]

Challenges to DOMA Section 3

California Proposition 8

• Hollingsworth v. Perry (2009–2013). California's Proposition 8, a voter-endorsed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, is found unconstitutional in U.S. district court in Perry v. Schwarzenegger. The proposition's backers appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which upholds the district court's finding of unconstitutionality in Perry v. Brown. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the proposition's backers lacked standing to appeal and left the district court ruling intact.^[182]

Same-sex marriage rights

Rick Wakeman: The Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour

RICK WAKEMAN Returns to the US with a Solo Show Full of Music and Mirth Keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman has two reasons to celebrate, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. First, his graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating career in music has just been recognized by Queen Elizabeth II, who named him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in her recent annual Birthday Honours. And secondly, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, after 18 months of lockdown in the UK, he is finally able to announce the long-delayed follow-up to 2019’s sell-out The Grumpy Old Rock Star Tour with – The Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating Having made his name creating prog rock extravaganzas, in his solo shows Wakeman returns to his roots with a programme packed with virtuosic piano performances and hilarious anecdotes inspired by his 50-plus-year career. Repertoire will range from his solo graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating and his stints in the band YES through to his early days as a session musician playing keyboards on such classics as David Bowie’s Life On Mars, plus surprises like his unique interpretations of Beatles’ hits and many more memorable tunes, adapted for the grand piano. And all of this glorious music is punctuated by riotous reflections on his life and the people he’s met along the way. As he himself often observes, life is rarely dull when Rick Wakeman is around! Professional musician, keyboard player, songwriter, broadcaster and raconteur, Wakeman’s career started as a much-in-demand session player, who performed on recordings by David Bowie, Elton John, Lou Reed, Al Stewart and hundreds more artists. His big break came in 1971 when he joined YES, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, who went on to become the most successful prog rock band in the world, but Wakeman has also always gone his own way outside the framework of that group. In the Seventies, he achieved chart-topping success with solo albums such as Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, The Six Wives of Henry VIII and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, which cumulatively sold over 10,000,000 copies in North America alone. He has written several film scores, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, amongst them two for director Ken Russell (Lisztomania and Crimes of Passion) and two ‘Harry Palmer’ movies starring Michael Caine (Bullet To Beijing and Midnight in St Petersburg), and in the UK, has built up an impressive reputation as a witty guest and host on shows like Grumpy Old Men, Countdown, Watchdog and the comedy cabaret show Live at Jongleurs. His wickedly irreverent acceptance speech when YES was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 nearly brought the house down! That same year, he made British chart history when his Piano Portraits record became the first solo piano instrumental album to enter the UK’s Top 10 on release – a feat he then repeated with last year’s Piano Odyssey. Both records feature tunes that have a special connection with Rick’s personal musical journey and his subsequent tours, in which he performs a selection of tracks accompanied by hilarious memories and anecdotes have been instant sell-outs in the UK. Now the achievements of his incredible career have been officially recognized with a CBE in recognition of his services to music, so come and celebrate with him on his forthcoming tour. And don’t worry – Rick will still find plenty of reasons to be grumpy…  

The English Beat plus The Twist-offs

One of the key bands of the U.K. ska revival of graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating late ’70s and early ’80s, the Beat (known as The English Beat in North America to avoid confusion with the Paul Collins-led power pop group) achieved a near-perfect balance of graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating melodies and taut rhythms that made them stars in Britain and won them a substantial cult following in the United States. Fronted by vocalist and guitarist Dave Wakeling and toaster Ranking Roger, the racially integrated Beat were based in Birmingham, England and released their debut single, “Tears of a Clown” b/w “Ranking Full Stop,” through the Specials’ 2-Tone label in 1979. The single went Top Ten in the U.K., and they soon struck a deal with Arista to distribute their own Go Feet label. 1980’s I Just Can’t Stop It (released by Sire in the United States) went gold in England on graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating strength of the single “Mirror in the Bathroom,” and the band’s ferocious performances and clever blend of personal and political lyrics made them stars at home. After a disappointing sophomore effort, 1981’s Wha’ppen?, the band came roaring back with 1982’s Special Beat Service, a more pop-oriented set that gave them a wider U.S. audience thanks to MTV’s embrace of the singles “I Confess” and “Save It for Later.” The band split at the end of that year, but in the 2000s, both Wakeling and Roger were fielding touring versions of the Beat, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, and the Wakeling edition recorded a new album, 2018’s Here We Go Love.CURRENT LINEUPDave WakelingLead Vocals/GuitarMatt MorrishSax/VocalsKevin LumKeys/VocalsMinh QuanKeys/VocalsBrian “Nucci” CantrellDrums/VocalsAntonee First ClassToasterChuck ElderBass/VocalsQuotes”… [Dave] Wakeling and his crew played 90 minutes worth of hits, deep cuts, some General Public chestnuts and a few new songs… every song was met with recognition and applause.” – River Front Times”[The English Beat are] more popular now than ever.” – San Francisco Chronicle[Dave Wakeling] has assembled an incredible band and is playing his hits with the same raucous enthusiasm that made The English Beat one of the biggest acts of the New Wave Era… Every time they play, The Brew [San Luis Obispo, CA] is packed to the gills with an audience bouncing in unison.” – SLO New Times”People were spilling out the doors by the time [English Beat] went on stage and the palpable joy was in the air when they started… With lyrics about unity, peace, love and partying, and a beat that’s guaranteed to get you out of your seat, their music will always be dancetastic.” – The New York Examiner[The English Beat continues to take] on 2 tone, ska, reggae graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating new wave, still dishing out on issues of strife and discontentment at times, but always with a happy, danceable tune… drawing large audiences and still has a growing fan base” – San Gabriel Valley Tribune”[Dave Wakeling of The English Beat] is a musician who seems to genuinely enjoy performing, and even those new to the Beat couldn’t help but get swept up in the infectious brand of “happy” music, as one put it.” – Napa Valley Register”As always, the English Beat’s sound is a driving blend of ska, punk, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, rock and reggae that’s made for dancing.” – Daily Local News

Arielle

Arielle Sunday, March 6th 2022 at 7:30 P.M. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 5th at 10 A.M. Prices: Gold Circle $30, Reserved $25, KSU Students $20     Arielle shares, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, “Having a two-year hiatus from playing music live was quite actually losing my voice. I never used to think my identity was what I do, but what I’ve come to realize is that it truly is my greatest expression of what I actually am. It’s how I connect with others to their soul. Our soul. These shows will be massively different from anything I’ve ever done thus far. More than anything, I’m just so excited to turn up some old guitar amps, and freaking GO.”   This past May, Arielle released her most recent studio album titled Analog Girl In A Digital World. Music videos released include “Inside & Outside” and “Peace of Mind” (Seen Below) . The collection of songs exhibited her true love of the 60’s and 70’s, and the inspiration that lives in her art from a connection to this wondrous time. An environment where things were done by hand, with a level of craft that couldn’t be hidden behind technology. She offers, “I take and protect those principles inside my music.” The approach for this upcoming tour of the U.S., and activities planned in the U.K. and Europe, is to capture the vibe of this period that resonates so deeply with the artist. Perhaps retro, but unequivocally current at the same time.   INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO VIP REVEALED: WELCOME TO THE GUITAR PETTING ZOO In all markets, Arielle will introduce an innovative approach to the VIP experience. As opposed to simply staging a meet & greet or enabling fans to attend soundcheck, this tour will present the inaugural “guitar petting zoo.” All present will be welcome to play her signature Two-Tone guitar alongside other instruments and the rig she travels with. Photography welcomed, alongside the ability to be present at soundcheck, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. Additional items will be provided to all purchasers. For more information visit kentstage.org or arielle.store/collections/vip-passes

An Evening with Graham Nash

GRAMMY AWARD WINNER Graham Nash Live at The Kent Stage Sunday, April 3rd at 8 P.M. Gold Circle $91, Reserved $71   About Graham Nash: Legendary artist Graham Nash is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee – with Crosby, Stills, and Nash and with the Hollies. He was also inducted twice into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, as a graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating artist and with CSN, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, and he is a GRAMMY Award winner. Towering above virtually everything that Graham Nash has accomplished in his long and multi-faceted career, stands the litany of songs that he has written and introduced to the soundtrack of the past half-century. His remarkable body of work, beginning with his contributions to the Hollies opus from 1964 to ’68, including “Stop Stop Stop,” “On A Carousel,” and “Carrie Anne,” continues all the way to Graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating Path Tonight (2016), his most recent solo album. Fifteen of his songs are celebrated in the 2018 release, Over the Years…, a 2-disc collection of some of Nash’s best-known works from the past 50 years and more than a dozen unreleased demos and mixes.  The original classic union of Crosby, Stills & Nash (& Young) lasted but twenty months. Yet their songs are lightning rods embedded in our DNA, starting with Nash’s “Marrakesh Express,” “Pre-Road Downs” and “Lady Of the Island,” from the first Crosby, Stills & Nash LP (1969). On CSNY’s Déjà Vu (1970), Nash’s “Teach Your Children” and “Our House” beseeched us to hold love tightly, to fend off the madness that was on its way.   Concert experience enhancementsGRAHAM NASH FRONT ROW PACKAGE:~ One reserved ticket in Front Row ~ Visit to preshow Sound Check with Graham Nash ~ One autographed tour poster ~ One commemorative Graham Nash laminate & ticket ~ Crowd free merchandise shoppingGRAHAM NASH SOUNDCHECK PACKAGE~ One reserved floor ticket within first 8 rows~  Visit to preshow Sound Check with Graham Nash ~ One autographed tour poster ~ One commemorative Graham Nash laminate & commemorative ticket Crowd free merchandise shoppingGRAHAM NASH PREMIUM PACKAGEOne reserved floor ticket within first 10 rowsOne Graham Nash tour itemOne commemorative Graham Nash ticketGUACAMOLE FUND ~ 100% of the Guacamole Fund tickets is paid to organizations that work in the areas of the environment and wildlife, social change, peace with justice, energy and a non nuclear future. .COVIDAt the present time, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, proof of vaccination and masks required

Shawn Colvin

This is the rescheduled date. Previous purchase tickets will be honored. Three-time GRAMMY winner Shawn Colvin’s debut album, Steady On, was released in October 1989, a stunning introduction to an artist who quickly established herself as a mainstay in the singer-songwriter genre, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. The album was lauded for its confessional songwriting and well-crafted melodies, and for Colvin’s tender and provocative vocals. Colvin received the ultimate acknowledgement for Steady On when she was awarded the GRAMMY award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. She swiftly amassed a dedicated and passionate fanbase.To commemorate the 30th anniversary of this landmark album, Colvin graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating released a newly-recordedsolo-acoustic version. Colvin brings a 30-year lens to her treasured songs, casting new light on the stories she first told as a young artist, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating. Colvin has long been hailed as an exemplary solo acoustic performer and these new recordings are a brilliant showcase for her enduring artistry.”I was 32 years old, and the dream of my life had been fulfilled,” Colvin says, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, “not only because I made an album but mostly because I had written or co-written every song, an accomplishment that was hard won. I was so proud. My feeling was then-and still is-that if I never made another album, Steady On would have been enough.” Steady On Acoustic strips each song to the core, placing Colvin’s songwriting masterclass on full display. “I’ve played these songs countless times, primarily as a solo acoustic artist,” she says. “All in all, this is the incarnation that feels most genuine. And so, to commemorate this milestone I decided to celebrate Steady Onby recording it again, this time using only my voice and my guitar. This represents who I am as an artist and all I ever wanted to be, and I believe it does its predecessor proud.”Over the course ofthree decades, Colvin has established herself as alegacy artist by creating a remarkable canon of work, touring relentlessly both nationally and internationally, and having her songs featured in television and film. She is a revered storyteller deserving of the the dating project watch online recognitionof both her peers and those who have been inspired by her songs. The reworking of her iconic debut feels not only timely but essential, further underscoring that Colvin remains a vital voice for women in music and reaffirming her status as an American a gamechanger. Shawn Colvin will perform Steady On Acoustic in its entirety in what promises to be a very special evening for her longtime fans.Tickets for this event are $30 for Reserved Seats and $40 for Gold Circle!

BoDeans

To the Friends of The Kent Stage As we continue on with the numerous restoration projects here at the Kent Stage, we look forward to hosting an audience very soon! With that being said we are very excited to announce that later this year we will be hosting BoDeans live on our stage. On Tuesday August 31st, 2021, BoDeans will bring it’s touted high energy performance to Kent, Ohio. You won’t want to miss this fantastic opportunity to catch the band live! Bodeans Those who have followed BoDeans’ remarkable 30-year musical career know that their blend of compelling songs and high energy performances have retained an unpretentious rock & roll loyal following like no other.Best known for their catchy single, “Closer To Free,” the band’s accessible adult alternative sound has led to many a milestone, including a Rolling Stone Reader’s Poll for Best New American Band in 1987, and support slots with U2, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Tom Petty, George Thorogood, The Pretenders, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, David Bowie and numerous others. Appearances at Farm Aid, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, Summerfest, ACL Festival and others followed, along with TV appearances on “Saturday NightLive,” “Letterman,” “Today,” “Imus,” CNN, and ESPN, to name a few. BoDeans have a permanent installation at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland as part of their Midwest Artists exhibit. After multiple chart-topping radio singles, and TV placements, BoDeans have defined a generation that embraced songs like “Good Things,” “You Don’t Get Much,” “Idaho,” “If It Makes You,” “Closer To Free,” “Stay,” and “All The World.” BoDeans signed their first recording contract with Slash/Warner Brothers Records in 1985 and their debut record, “Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams” was released May, 1986. Since then, they have released 12 studio albums with ten records that hit the Billboard Top 200 Chart, and numerous singles on the Mainstream Rock, Top 40 and Triple A radio charts. Few would expect them to still be going strong – so many years after Wisconsin’s favorite musical sons first formed, but they’ve proved as energetic and determined as they did on day one. Their music is featured throughout the new Netflix original series, “The Ranch,” which features Sam Elliott, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson and Debra Winger. BoDeans now reside in a small group of bands that have managed to survive the ups and downs of the industry, remaining true to their sound and their style, for 30 years, and show no signs of slowing down. We are excited to once again have live music here at The Kent Stage, as we urge you to come join us for an energetic performance from BoDeans. Tickets can be purchased online at kentstage.org starting at $30. Doors & Box Office will open an hour before the show, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating.    

Crash Test Dummies – 30th Anniversary Tour

With a fantastic schedule lined up for the rest of 2021, and as we continue to look for more shows this year, we can’t pass up an opportunity to bring a good show in the early part of 2022. It’s very telling in the music industry when a band carries a career over multiple decades. As Crash Test Dummies continue their storied career, we are happy to announce that they will be performing Live at The Kent Stage on March 2nd, 2022!  Crash Test Dummies  Wednesday March 2nd, 2022 at 8 P.M.  Tickets on sale – NOW Prices: Gold Circle $60, Reserved $45 It’s been 30 years since the Crash Test Dummies recorded their debut album, “The Ghosts That Haunt Me”.  Their first album garnered them their first big hit, Superman’s Song, and a Juno Award for Group of the Year.   Over three decades later, their sold out 25th Anniversary Tour for multi-Grammy nominated “God Shuffled His Feet” is proof that audiences still want graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating hear what they have to say. “We have been so excited with the response to the 25th anniversary tour that we knew we had to continue the party and celebrate 30 years since we made our first album. We had no idea that fans would be so enthusiastic and we are all a little gob-smacked that we can still play sold out shows to our fans and, awesomely enough, their kids,” says original graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating Ellen Reid. Their 2020 tour will start in Canada and will see them tour North America and Europe, where fans have been anxiously waiting. The shows will include hits and fan favourites from the band’s vast catalogue.  Original members Brad Roberts, Ellen Reid, Dan Roberts, and Mitch Dorge will be joined onstage by Stuart Cameron and Marc Arnould. “After a long absence from the road, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, Crash Test Dummies have begun to tour again. Not something I’d planned on, but surprisingly, at least to me, there are lots of people who, years later, still want to come and hear us. That people continue to return to see the band all these years later still stuns me. It’s very humbling. The folks that come out to these shows tell us their stories and there are many gems: many are very funny, some are very dark, and all are very personal. It’s very humbling, being in the confidence of so many people,” says lead singer/songwriter Brad Roberts. We are very excited to host Crash Test Dummies Live at The Kent Stage, while they tour throughout 2022. We look forward to seeing you all very soon! Show starts at 8 P.M, and both the door & box office will open an hour before. 

An Evening with Donnie Iris & The Cruisers

Donnie Iris & The Cruisers Friday April 16th at 8 P.M   Donnie Iris found his early successes in the industry while performing with The Jaggerz and Wild Cherry. While with Wild Cherry in the late 70’s Images of elderly using online dating Iris found his identity as such, after performing under his birth name Dominic Lerace for the earlier part of his career. Struggling to build off the success of “Play that Funky Music”, Wild Cherry would break up in 1979. Nevertheless Iris had already sunk his teeth into another project with fellow bandmate Mark Avsec. Their first release saw the disco-influenced iceland single dating “Bring on the Eighties” backed by a cover of “Because of You” in 1979; however it failed to garner attention. Iris and Avsec decided to go in a harder direction for their next release and returned to the studio with guitarist Marty Lee Hoenes, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, bassist Albritton McClain and drummer Kevin Valentine, who at the time was in the band Breathless with Avsec, to record his first full-length album. This line-up would form what would become known as Donnie Iris and the Cruisers. Iris released his first album in July of 1980, titled Back on The Streets, through Midwest Records based out of Cleveland, Ohio. Thanks to the track “Ah! Leah!” receiving attention through airplay in Boston, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh, MCA Records took notice and signed Iris to a five album deal before rereleasing the album nationally in October that year. Since then Donnie Iris & The Cruisers have gone through changes in lineups, graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating, but have continued on, releasing eleven studio albums, one EP, two live albums, and two compilation albums. He continues to sporadically release new material and tour throughout Pennsylvania and Ohio.    Donnie Iris & The Cruisers return to The Kent Stage as part of our 20th Anniversary Celebration on Friday Arpil 16th, 2022. Show starts at 8 P.M, and both the doors & box office will open an hour prior to start time.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band + Nathan & The Zydeco Cha-Chas graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating Mardi Gras Mamba

Mardi Gras Mamba 2022! – Featuring The Dirty Dozen Brass Band & Nathan Williams graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating The Zydeco Cha Graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating Dirty Dozen Brass Band are the pioneers of the modern New Orleans brass band movement, recognized worldwide as an unstoppable musical machine.For more than 40 years, the group has taken the traditional foundation of brass band music and incorporated it into a blend of genres including Bebop Jazz, Funk and Graham crabtree 70@yahoo sex dating and Soul. This unique sound, described by the band as a “musical gumbo,” has allowed the Dirty Dozen to tour across five continents and more than 30 countries, record 12 studio albums and collaborate with a range of artists from Modest Mouse to Widespread Panic to Norah Jones.”The Dirty Dozen Brass Band continues to be a national treasure; steeped in both the past and the present, impossible to categorize and mighty funky.” – The New York TimesNathan Williams provides a direct connection to Zydeco’s storied pioneers such as Clifton Chenier and Boozoo Chavis. He formed The Cha-Chas back in 1985, and since then has brought his unique take on this regional South Louisiana music to all corners of the globe. From Lincoln Center in New Perils of online dating to The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, his music has crossed all barriers to speak to the very heart of the audience. Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Cha’s are keepers of the zydeco flame, committed to keeping their Creole heritage alive.Together, these bands create a non-stop dance fest. Blues, Cajun, New Orleans soul, zydeco and R&B from two masters of the genres.Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 day of show. The show begins at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m.

The Music of Cream

New date – June 8thCurrent tickets will be honored Refunds available at [email protected]