All across the country, millions of Americans are coming together in support of one basic message: It's time. It's time for same-sex couples from every state - from the East Coast to the West Coast to the South and Midwest - to have the freedom to marry. Committed same-sex couples live in every part of the United States, and they're celebrating their love in various ways. Whether it's a commitment ceremony in California, a wedding in New York, or even something as basic as beginning to build a life together by buying a home in their home state, these couples are demonstrating every day that they want to be able to marry for similar reasons as different-sex couples. They want to declare their love in front of their friends and families. They want their promises to each other to bear the same legal weight as different-sex couples' promises. They want to protect their families - and to protect each other. Read stories from a diverse array of couples HERE.

All same-sex couples in the United States face discrimination because of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. Couples who are legally married in states where same-sex couples can share in the freedom to marry are not protected at the federal level, meaning that they are not eligible for over 1,138+ protections and responsibilities afforded to different-sex couples. DOMA disrespects lawful marriages and disrespects states that have approved laws supporting fairness for all families. Some groups of same-sex couples face more specific roadblocks because of DOMA. For example, gay and lesbian service members and their families are disadvantaged because DOMA forces the U.S. military to discriminate against their marriages. Binational same-sex couples are often forcibly separated as a result of DOMA, since gay and lesbian Americans may not sponsor same-sex partners for immigration purposes. DOMA will face review by the U.S. Supreme Court in March 2013. Read Stories of Couples Hurt by DOMA.

Same-sex couples in California have been riding a roller coaster for the past four years. Since May 2008, when the California Supreme Court extended the freedom to marry to same-sex couples, thousands of families in the state have experienced momentous victories, crushing setbacks, and a relentless period of uncertainty about the future of marriage. That's because in November 2008, anti-gay forces in the state pushed through Proposition 8, which resulted in a constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples, leaving 18,000 newly married couples, and many other couples who did not marry in that five-month period, in limbo. Prop 8 has steadily progressed through the courts over the past four years, and it now faces review by the U.S. Supreme Court in March 2013. Read Stories of California Couples Riding the Marriage Roller Coaster.

On November 6, 2012, voters in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington voted on marriage-related ballot measures - and in all four races, the freedom to marry triumphed. Same-sex couples in Maine, Maryland, and Washington won the freedom to marry at the ballot for the very first time, and Minnesota defeated an anti-gay constitutional amendment that would have permanently limited the freedom to marry. In the months leading up to Election Day, we profiled loving adn committed same-sex couples from each state. Read Stories of Couples Celebrating Victories at the Ballot.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012 marked the first anniversary of legal marriages between same-sex couples in New York. To celebrate, Freedom to Marry shared the stories of same-sex couples who tied the knot this year, celebrating their love and commitment with beautiful ceremonies and gatherings of their friends, family members, and other loved ones. Read Stories of Couples Who Married in New York.