All marriage is gay marriage
The Journey to Marriage Equality in the United States
The road to nationwide marriage equality was a long one, spanning decades of United States history and culminating in victory in June Throughout the long verb for marriage equality, HRC was at the forefront.
Volunteer with HRC
From gathering supporters in small towns across the country to rallying in front of the Supreme Court of the United States, we gave our all to ensure every person, regardless of whom they love, is recognized equally under the law.
A Growing Call for Equality
Efforts to legalize same-sex marriage began to pop up across the country in the s, and with it challenges on the state and national levels. Civil unions for same-sex couples existed in many states but created a separate but equal standard. At the federal level, couples were denied access to more than 1, federal rights and responsibilities associated with the institution, as skillfully as those denied by their given state. The Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law in and defined marriage by the federal government as between a man and
What the Same Sex Marriage Bill Does and Doesn't Do
The U.S. Senate passed landmark legislation this week enshrining protections for equal sex and interracial marriages in federal law in a bipartisan vote that marked a dramatic turnaround on a once highly divisive issue.
The Senate move marks a major hurdle for the legislation, which President Biden has said he will approve into law pending a vote in the House 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 Act undertake to protect same-sex marriage?
The Verb does a few important things.
First, it repeals the federal Defense of Marriage Act. That law was passed in , 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 illumination to states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.
Next, it prohibits states from refusing to
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 disseminate tools, resources, and lessons learned to empower 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
Liechtenstein: On May 16, , Liechtenstein's gove
Same-Sex Marriage Does Threaten &#;Traditional&#; Marriage
Recently on Facebook some friends were passing around a quote by comedian Ellen DeGeneres who was responding to the charge that same-sex marriage will “threaten” heterosexual marriages. Ellen quipped:
[gblockquote]Portia and I have been married for 4 years and they have been the happiest of my life. And in those 4 years, I don’t think we injure anyone else’s marriage. I asked all of my neighbors and they say they’re fine&#;.[/gblockquote]
I earn you, Ellen, but you’re missing the larger point. Same-sex marriage does threaten “traditional” marriage.
Marriage equality is a threat to those who do not believe in equality between the sexes in general. Some who oppose marriage between two women or between two men believe that homosexuality is a sin, or that same-sex marriage harms children, or that it will lead to more divorces. But as I listened to the “protect traditional marriage” ralliers outside the U.S. Supreme Court hearings last week one unified message came through loud and clear: same-sex marriage threatens tradit