Marriage Equality

Where can same-sex couples get married?

Vermont becomes 4th U.S. state to allow gay marriage (April 7, 2009)

Iowa Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Same-Sex Marriage (April 3, 2009)
Summary     Full Court Opinion

Equality Matters lists the 1138 federal rights denied same-sex couples because they are unable to marry (Source: Government Accounting Office)

"New study shows party, ideology, frequency of religious service attendance and age drove vote on Prop. 8" - NGLTF

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 November 4, California voters passed Prop 8, which states that "Marriage shall be between one man and one woman." More information on legal challenges to this amendment and on the status of marriages already performed between same-sex spouses may be found on the Lambda Legal web site and on the Equality California web site.

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

California same-sex couples married after this Court ruling and before the passage of Proposition 8 on November 4, are entitled to all of the state-level rights and benefits of marriage.

Same-sex coupled are entitled to all of the state-level rights and benefits of marriage in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

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 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