All 50 states in the United States have legalized queer 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 contain not legalized lgbtq+ marriage up to that point.
By Date
Rank
State Name
Date Same Sex Marriage Legalized
1
Massachusetts
May 17, 2004
2
Connecticut
November 12, 2008
3
Iowa
April 24, 2009
4
Vermont
September 1, 2009
5
New Hampshire
January 1, 2010
6
New York
July 24, 2011
7
Washington
December 9, 2012
8
Maine
December 29, 2012
9
Maryland
January 1, 2013
10
California
June 28, 2013
11
Delaware
July 1, 2013
12-T
Minnesota
August 1, 2013
12-T
Rhode Island
August 1, 2013
14
New Jersey
October 21, 2013
15
Hawaii
December 2, 2013
16
New Mexico
December 19, 2013
17
Oregon
May 19, 2014
18
Pennsylvania
May 20, 2014
19
Illinois
June 1, 2014
20-T
Indiana
October 6, 2014
20-T
Oklahoma
October 6, 201
Marriage & Relationship Recognition Laws
States with the freedom to marry do not ban queer couples from entering into legal marriages. Some states also provide comprehensive relationship recognition, such as domestic partnerships or civil unions, to same- and different-sex couples. However, most states still possess constitutional amendments, statutes, or both banning marriage for same-sex couples, even after the 2015 Supreme Court case Obergefell extended marriage equality nationwide. For more on the current status of mention marriage laws, see 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 domestic partnership law (9 states + D.C.)
State has targeted religious exemption law (see note)
Citations & More Information
Recommended citation: Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Marriage & Relationship Recognition Laws."https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/marriage_relationship_la
The Journey to Marriage Equality in the United States
The road to nationwide marriage equality was a prolonged one, spanning decades of United States history and culminating in victory in June 2015. Throughout the long battle for marriage equality, HRC was at the forefront.
Volunteer with HRC
From gathering supporters in small towns across the region to rallying in front of the Supreme Court of the United States, we gave our all to secure every person, regardless of whom they love, is established equally under the law.
A Growing Phone for Equality
Efforts to legalize same-sex marriage began to pop up across the country in the 1990s, and with it challenges on the state and national levels. Civil unions for lgbtq+ couples existed in many states but created a separate but equal typical. 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 guy and woman, thereby allowing states to deny m
MAP Report: The National Patchwork of Marriage Laws Underneath Obergefell
MEDIA CONTACT: 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 retort questions and our infographics are available for use.
MAP’s report, Underneath Obergefell, explores the patchwork of marriage laws around the country. The report highlights the truth that a majority of states still have existing laws on the books that would ban marriage for same-sex couples – even though those laws are currently unenforceable under the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell.
If the U.S. Supreme Court were to revisit the Obergefell decision, the ability of same-sex couples to commit could again fall to the states, where a majority of states still have in place both bans in the commandment and in state constitutions.