States that have gay marriage

Same-sex marriage has been legalized in twenty-eight countries, including the United States, and civil unions are recognized in many Western democracies. Civil Society. While same-sex marriage has made the most gains in Western democracies, antidiscrimination laws are gaining traction worldwide. In , seventy-three countries, including some that retain sodomy laws, had protections against employment discrimination [PDF] based on gender identity or sexual orientation. Activists in the international arena have focused on antiviolence and antidiscrimination campaigns rather than same-sex marriage.

June New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, center, hands pens to legislators after signing into law a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, at the Capitol in Albany, N. New York became the sixth and largest state to legalize same-sex marriage after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law late Friday night. Gay weddings will begin in 30 days. The state Senate voted late Friday in favor of a gay marriage bill, which was backed by four Republicans and 29 Democrats in the GOP-controlled Senate. The Democratic-controlled Assembly, which had approved an earlier version, passed the Senate's stronger religious exemptions in the measure Friday.

Gay marriage has been legally recognized in America since the U. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Justice Kennedy stated in the decision that marriage is "a keystone of our social order," and the Supreme Court vote effectively prohibited individual states from banning same-sex marriages.

The first lawsuits involving same-sex marriage started in the s, bringing the question of civil marriage rights for same-sex couples to public attention. Many of these lawsuits were unsuccessful. Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon become the first gay couple to marry and receive official recognition after being together for 50 years.