Marriage Equality

Map of State Laws (Note: The map does not reflect the California case ruling)
"Lambda Legal’s Safety Scale: Respect for Same-Sex Couples’ Relationship"

Same-sex Marriage

UPDATE! - On May 15, 2008, the Supreme Court of California declared that it is unconstitutional to bar same-sex couples from marrying in California: The Court's Opinion

Currently, same-sex couples are entitled to all of the state-level rights and benefits of marriage in Massachusetts.

Domestic Partnerships
Same-sex couples living in California, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine and Washington (as of 7/22/2007) can take advantage of domestic partner laws that provide a range of health care benefits and other protections.

Civil Unions
Civil unions offer same-sex couples some of the benefits of marriage under state laws. Currently, civil unions are available for same-sex couples in Vermont and Connecticut and New Jersey.

Books & DVD's
Same-sex marriage is one of the most frequest topics about which visitors to the LGBT Resource Center inquire. Below are helpful resources. For a great primer on the marriage debate within the LGBTQ community, we recommend the essay collection "I Do/I Don't: Queers on Marriage" by Greg Wharton & Ian Philips, Eds.

DVDs - all available for check-out from the LGBTRC's library
  • Gay Weddings
  • I Can’t Marry You
  • One Wedding & a Revolution
  • Tying the Knot
Books - bold titles available for check-out from the LGBTRC's library
  • The Case for Same-Sex Marriage by William Eskridge
  • Civil Wars: A Battle for Gay Marriage by David Moats
  • Creating Civil Union: Opening Hearts and Minds by Linda Hollingdale
  • Equality Practice: Civil Unions and the Future of Gay Rights by William N. Eskridge
  • Equality for Same-Sex Couples: The Legal Recognition of Gay Partnerships in Europe and the United States by Yuval Merin
  • From This Day Forward: Commitment, Marriage and Family in
  • Lesbian and Gay Relationships by Gretchen A. Stiers
  • Gay and Lesbian Marriage and Family Reader by Jennifer Lehmann
  • Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America by Jonathan Rauch
  • I Do/I Don't: Queers on Marriage by Greg Wharton & Ian Philips, Eds.
  • Just Married: Gay Marriage and the Expansion of Human Rights by Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell
  • Legalizing Gay Marriage by Michael Mello
  • Legally Wed: Same-Sex Marriage and the Constitution by Mark Strasser
  • The "M" Word: Writers on Same-Sex Marriage by Kathy Pories, Ed.
  • On the Road to Same Sex-Marriage by Robert Cabaj
  • Same Sex Intimacies: Families of Choice and Other Life Experiments by Jeffrey Weeks, et al
  • Same-Sex Marriage and the Constitution by Evan Gerstmann
  • Same-Sex Marriage: The Moral and Legal Debate by Robert M. Baird
  • Same-Sex Marriage: The Personal and the Political by Kevin Alderson & Kathleen A. Lahey
  • Same-Sex Marriage: Pro and Con by Andrew Sullivan
  • Same Sex Marriage In The United States: Focus On The Facts by Sean Cahill
  • Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe by John Boswell
  • That's Revolting! Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation by Matt Bernstein Sycamore
  • What is Marriage For?: The Strange Social History of Our Most Intimate Institution by E. J. Graff
  • Why Marriage?: The History Shaping Today's Debate Over Gay Equality by George Chauncey
  • Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry by Evan Wolfson
  • Why You Should Give A Damn About Gay Marriage by Davina Kotulski