States which allow same sex marriage

While the law mandates that the state church — the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark — allow same-sex couples to marry, it does not require clergy to perform the marriages. Since , Brazil has recognized same-sex civil unions and granted those couples many of the same rights as heterosexual married couples, including adoption, inheritance, and pension benefits.

In , with nearly half the states in Brazil already recognizing same-sex marriages, the country made them legal nationwide. After an unsuccessful court challenge by the Conservative Party, France's highest court ruled in favor of a bill allowing same-sex marriage and adoptions by same-sex couples in May The bill was pushed through by President Francois Hollande, who was elected a year earlier, and his Socialist Party.

Months of debate ended in the British Parliament when a same-sex marriage bill passed in July and was ratified by the Queen the next day. The law took effect March 29, , when the first same-sex marriages occurred in England. The law, which applies to England and Wales, does not allow for same-sex marriages within the Church of England.

Uruguay became the second Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage when the president signed a bill into law on May 3, , though it didn't take effect until Aug.

Civil unions between gay and lesbian couples had been legal since , and adoption rights were granted in On April 17, , New Zealand passed an amendment to the Marriage Act of which updated the definition of marriage to "the union of two people, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity," as well as amendments to other bills such as an adoption rights bill, to ensure that same-sex couples would have the same rights as heterosexual couples.

The changes took effect in August of that year. Amidst protests by the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church, the Scottish Parliament passed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in February The legislation, which went into effect in December , left it up to churches to decide whether or not they would conduct the marriages. The Scottish Episcopal Church decided to perform same-sex marriages in , and the next year the Church of Scotland voted to draft new laws allowing its pastors to conduct the marriages as well.

The laws aren't due for final review until On June 18, , in the first major reform of the country's marriage laws since , Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies approved a bill allowing same-sex couples to both marry and adopt children.

The bill went into effect on Jan. Luxembourg's first openly gay Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, took advantage of the laws he helped champion and married his partner that same year. The U. Supreme Court decides Lawrence v. Texas , striking down sodomy law and enshrining a broad constitutional right to sexual privacy.

California passes a domestic partnership law which provides same-sex partners with almost all the rights and responsibilities as spouses in civil marriages.

President Bush states that he wants marriage reserves for heterosexuals and the Massachusetts Supreme Court hands down a decision that makes Massachusetts the first state to legalize gay marriage. Portland, Oregon also begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

While San Francisco is told to halt same-sex unions, Oregon takes the more drastic step of halting all marriages until the state decides who can and cannot wed.

The proposed constitutional amendment with the same-sex ban dies in the U. Senate after testimony against it from conservative politicians. Missouri votes to ban same-sex marriage.

Washington state says yes to same-sex marriage in a court decision while the California Supreme Court voids same-sex marriages. The first lawsuits involving same-sex marriage, also called gay 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. On May 17, , Massachusetts became the first state and sixth jurisdiction in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. Gay marriage, also known as same-sex marriage, is the marriage of people of the same sex or gender. In , a same-sex couple in Minnesota applied for a marriage license and was denied.

The case was brought to the Minnesota Supreme Court and brought the question of civil marriage rights for same-sex couples to the public attention. Unfortunately, many of these early cases were unsuccessful. In , the first mass same-sex wedding ceremony took place on the National Mall, where almost 2, same-sex couples were married. In , court rulings in New York and California defined same-sex couples as families.