What states have which laws regarding marriage equality?
As of February 2007, Massachusetts is the only state in which committed gay and lesbian couples can marry. California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, and Vermont each grant varying levels of legal status to gay and lesbian partners but none come close to conferring the full rights and responsibilities of marriage.
On the other side, many American states have passed statutes or constitutional amendments banning recognition of marriages between two women or two men. Many of these anti-marriage statutes or amendments also ban recognition of any parallel or lesser status. Some of these laws and amendments are currently under legal challenge. More will be challenged in the months and years to come, as legally married or civilly united couples face disease, disaster, divorce, or death within those other states, and expect to have their legal bond respected.
Why Marriage Matters America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry.
By Evan Wolfson
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Read families’ stories about how marriage discrimination affects everyday life. These stories communicate, in concrete ways, how the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage hurts families and helps no one.
Start in The Marriage Basics to get short answers to your big questions about the freedom to marry, and learn more about the protections and responsibilities of marriage, the historical background for this civil rights movement, why separate is not equal, and so much more.
