How many states can gay people get married in
MAP Report: The National Patchwork of Marriage Laws Underneath Obergefell
Rebecca Farmer, Movement Advancement Project
rebecca@lgbtmap.org | 303-578-4600 ext 122
As the Respect for Marriage Act moves through Congress, MAP’s March 2022 report on the landscape of varying state marriage laws around the country is a resource. MAP researchers are available to acknowledge questions and our infographics are present for use.
MAP’s report, Underneath Obergefell, explores the patchwork of marriage laws around the country. The announce highlights the reality that a majority of states still have existing laws on the books that would forbid marriage for queer couples – even though those laws are currently unenforceable under the U.S. Supreme Court decree in Obergefell.
If the U.S. Supreme Court were to revisit the Obergefell choice, the ability of same-sex couples to marry could again fall to the states, where a majority of states still have in place both bans in the regulation and in declare constitutions.
The policy landscape for declare marriage laws can be broken into four major categ
Marriage & Connection Recognition Laws
States with the liberty to marry undertake not ban lgbtq+ couples from entering into legal marriages. Some states also offer comprehensive association recognition, such as domestic partnerships or civil unions, to same- and different-sex couples. However, most states still include constitutional amendments, statutes, or both banning marriage for queer couples, even after the 2015 Supreme Court case Obergefell extended marriage equality nationwide. For more on the current status of declare marriage laws, observe MAP's 2022 report: Underneath Obergefell: A National Patchwork of Marriage Laws.
Marriage equality for same-sex couples(50 states , 5 territories + D.C.)
Comprehensive civil union or local partnership law (9 states + D.C.)
State has targeted religious exemption law (see note)
Citations & More Information
Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Marriage & Relationship Recognition Laws."https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/marriage_relationship_laws. Accessed 08/01/2025.
NOTE: Kansas permits faith-based organ
What the Same Sex Marriage Bill Does and Doesn't Do
The U.S. Senate passed landmark legislation this week enshrining protections for matching sex and interracial marriages in federal law in a bipartisan vote that marked a dramatic turnaround on a once highly divisive issue.
The Senate action marks a major hurdle for the legislation, which President Biden has said he will subscribe into law pending a vote in the Dwelling of Representatives.
Leonore F. Carpenter, a Rutgers Law School professor who has served as an LGBTQA rights attorney, explains what the Respect for Marriage Act accomplishes, and what is does not.
What exactly does the Respect for Marriage Proceed do to protect homosexual marriage?
The Act does a few important things.
First, it repeals the federal Defense of Marriage Act. That law was passed in 1996, and it prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages that had been validly entered into under a state’s law. It also gave the green light to states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.
Next, it prohibits states from refusing to recognize same-sex marriages that are validly entered into in a alternative state. It’s also impo
Marriage Equality Around the World
The Human Rights Campaign tracks developments in the legal recognition of same-sex marriage around the world. Working through a worldwide network of HRC global alumni and partners, we lift up the voices of community, national and regional advocates and share tools, resources, and lessons learned to enable movements for marriage equality.
Current State of Marriage Equality
There are currently 38 countries where same-sex marriage is legal: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Uruguay.
These countries have legalized marriage equality through both legislation and court decisions.
Countries that Legalized Marriage Equality in 2025
Liechtenstein: On May 16, 2024, Liechtenstein's government passed a bill in favor of marriage equality. The law went into effect January 1, 2025.
Number of Married Same-Sex Couples
Two years ago, on June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that the Constitution guarantees queer couples the right to marry and to hold their marriages recognized by the states. And four years ago, on June 26, 2013, the Court ruled in United States v. Windsor that the federal government must notice marriages between same-sex couples. This research brief shows:
- As of June 2017, nearly 1.1 million LGBT people in the United States are married to someone of the same sex, implying that more than 547,000 same-sex couples are married nationwide.
- Since Obergefell, at least 157,000 same-sex couples married.
- Since Windsor, at least 317,000 same-sex couples married.
New data from the Gallup Daily Tracking Survey—a nationally-representative survey that includes a measure of LGBT identity—indicate that 4.3% of adults in the United States identify as LGBT. Information from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that there are more than 249 million U.S. adults. Applying the LGBT percentage from Gallup to the Census population data indicates that more than 10.7 million adults in the Combined States identify as
LGBT. The Gallup data in