U.S. Policies on Same-Sex Marriage
Updated September 9, 2022 |
Infoplease Staff
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United States Policies
The purpose of the indicators is to provide a quick reference tool to show the position of each state concerning same-sex marriage, civil unions, domestic partnerships, prohibitive laws, and prohibitive state constitutional amendments.
| U.S. Indicator | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 0 | Constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage |
| 1 | Law prohibiting same-sex marriage |
| 2 | "Silent and ambiguous" are states that do not expressly allow nor prohibit same-sex couples from marrying there. |
| 3 | States recognizing domestic partnership protections |
| 4 | States granting civil unions |
| 5 | States issuing marriage licences to same-sex couples. |
U.S. States
| State | Indicator(s) | State | Indicator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 01, 1 | Montana | 5 |
| Alaska | 5 | Nebraska | 01 |
| Arizona | 5 | Nevada | 5 |
| Arkansas | 01, 1 | New Hampshire | 5 |
| California | 5 | New Jersey | 5 |
| Colorado | 5 | New Mexico | 5 |
| Connecticut | 5 | New York | 5 |
| Delaware | 5 | North Carolina | 5 |
| Florida | 5 | North Dakota | 01, 1 |
| Georgia | 01, 1 | Ohio | 01, 1 |
| Hawaii | 5 | Oklahoma | 5 |
| Idaho | 5 | Oregon | 5 |
| Illinois | 5 | Pennsylvania | 5 |
| Indiana | 5 | Rhode Island | 5 |
| Iowa | 5 | South Carolina | 5 |
| Kansas | 5 | South Dakota | 01, 1 |
| Kentucky | 01, 1 | Tennessee | 0, 1 |
| Louisiana | 01, 1 | Texas | 01, 1 |
| Maine | 5 | Utah | 5 |
| Maryland | 5 | Vermont | 5 |
| Massachusetts | 5 | Virginia | 5 |
| Michigan | 01, 1 | Washington | 5 |
| Minnesota | 5 | West Virginia | 5 |
| Mississippi | 0, 1 | Wisconsin | 5 |
| Missouri | 0, 1 | Wyoming | 5 |
| District of Columbia | 5 |
1. Contains language that may affect other legal relationships, such as civil unions or domestic partnerships.
2. On Nov. 4, 2009, voters narrowly pass a ballot measure, Proposition 8, that overturns the May 15, 2008, California Supreme Court decision that said same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. Many supporters of same-sex marriage blame the results of the vote on an expensive campaign by the Mormon church, which opposes gay marriage. The approximately 18,000 marriage licenses already issued are still officially recognized as legal.
Source: Human Rights Campaign, The Pew Charitable Trusts
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