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States

While two states (Massachusetts and California) uphold the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, there are four states — Massachusetts, California, Rhode Island, and New York — that officially pledge non-discrimination against marriages between same-sex couples.

• Because New Mexico’s laws do not prohibit marriage between same-sex couples, there is no impediment to New Mexico same-sex couples marrying in Massachusetts or California and having their marriage honored in New Mexico.  While Massachusett’s government directed that licenses could be given to New Mexico couples, the New Mexico state government has not taken action to ensure they will be honored.

Anti-gay initiatives in California, Florida, and Arizona have qualified for the ballot in November 2008.  Each would write discrimination into their state constitutions, and California’s would take away the equality and fairness achieved by California’s Supreme Court ruling to uphold the freedom to marry in May 2008. 

Various states now offer broad protections short of marriage including civil unions in Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New Hampshire and broad domestic partnerships in California and Oregon. Smaller packages of protections for same-sex couples are available in Maine, Hawaii, Washington, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. All of these states continue to work toward marriage.

Click on a state or choose one from our drop-down menu to find the latest developments, state organizations, and action alerts on a local level.

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming