In nine states, lawmakers contain proposed resolutions or bills to roll back marriage equality protections in a direct challenge to Obergefell v. Hodges. While states fancy Michigan, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, and South Dakota urge the Supreme Court to revisit its historic 2015 ruling, others such as Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee contain introduced bills acknowledging a new category of marriages solely between heterosexual couples.
We know this is frightening for many people in our community. At the same time, we want you to know that these measures are short-lived more than political theater. These ideas, if passed, will not prevent queer couples from marryingin any state or invalidate anyone’s current marriage. The U.S. Supreme Court commanded in 2015 that the U.S. Constitution guarantees all couples, including same-sex couples, the freedom to marry. As a result, same-sex couples can marry in every state today.
The constitutionally-protected freedom to marry can only be changed if a case comes before the Supreme Court and a majority of Justices vote to overturn the court’s marriage equality decision. Right
Date Same Sex Marriage Legalized By State
All 50 states in the United States have legalized gay marriage. Below are the dates when each state did so. On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court dictated that same-sex marriage is a right guaranteed by the Constitution, thus making same-sex marriage legal in the 13 states that include not legalized queer marriage up to that point.
Same-sex marriage became legal in Texas in 2015 after the U.S. Supreme Court issued their decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. This ruling required all states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
In 2022, the federal Respect for Marriage Act created statutory protections for same-sex marriages. This law requires all states to recognize valid same-sex marriages performed in another state. However, it does not require a state to issue a same-sex marriage license.
The marriage application process is the same for every couple in Texas.
United States v. Windsor — June 26, 2013
The Court ruled that a federal law defining marriage as being between one man and one woman was unconstitutional. The law was found to violate same-sex couples' rights to equal protection under federal laws.
Obergefell et al. v. Hodges, Director, Ohio Department of Health, et al. — June 26, 2015
In this decision, the Supreme Court held that states must recognize homosexual marriage. It required states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Respect for Marriage Act — H.R. 8404, Public Law 117-228, December 13, 2022
This federal law prov
The Journey to Marriage Equality in the United States
The road to nationwide marriage equality was a long one, spanning decades of United States history and culminating in victory in June 2015. Throughout the extended fight for marriage equality, HRC was at the forefront.
Volunteer with HRC
From gathering supporters in minor towns across the country to rallying in front of the Supreme Court of the Together States, we gave our all to ensure every person, regardless of whom they love, is recognized equally under the law.
A Growing Call for Equality
Efforts to legalize same-sex marriage began to pop up across the nation in the 1990s, and with it challenges on the articulate and national levels. Civil unions for same-sex couples existed in many states but created a separate but equal standard. At the federal level, couples were denied access to more than 1,100 federal rights and responsibilities associated with the institution, as well as those denied by their given state. The Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law in 1996 and defined marriage by the federal government as between a bloke and woman, thereby allowing states to deny m