Same sex marriage is a big issue in the GLBT community, and many gay marriage activists have tirelessly fought to help see legal gay marriage become a reality in America. Thanks to these efforts gay marriage is now legal in ten jurisdictions.
As of 2013, gay men and lesbians could marry their same sex partners in:
- Minnesota
- Delaware
- Rhode Island
- New York
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- Iowa
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- Washington
- Maine
- Maryland
- Washington, D.C.
A few states recognize marriages of same sex couples that are legally performed in other places.
California briefly allowed gay marriage in 2008 until something called Prop 8 stripped same sex couples of this right. Prop 8 was repealed in 2010, and in February 2012, it was found unconstitutional. But the law is currently in limbo and no marriages have been performed since 2008.
The passage of gay marriage in New York, in June, 2011, has been seen as a pivotal event. New York is America's third-most populous state and same sex marriage was passed in that state by the elected legislature and not through the courts. It was also voted for by Republican senators.
During the 2012 Presidential election Washington, Maine and Maryland became the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote. This was a pivotal and telling moment since going into the election, gay marriage was legal in six states and Washington D.C., but each of these was the result of legislation or court orders, and not by a vote of the people.
In April 2013, Rhode Island became the most recent state to legalize same sex marriage.
