Same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage or same-gender marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex or gender. As of 2025, marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% of the world's population). The most recent jurisdiction to legalize same-sex marriage is Thailand.

Same-sex marriage is legally recognized in a large majority of the world's developed countries; notable exceptions are Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the Czech Republic. Adoption rights are not necessarily covered, though most states with same-sex marriage allow those couples to jointly adopt as other married couples can. Some countries, such as Nigeria and Russia, restrict advocacy for same-sex marriage. A few of these are among the 35 countries (as of 2023) that constitutionally define marriage to prevent marriage between couples of the same sex, with most of those provisions enacted in recent decades as a preventative measure. Other countries have constitutionally mandated Islamic law, which is generally interpreted as prohibiting marriage between same-sex couples.[citation needed] In six of the former and most of the latter, homosexuality itself is criminalized.

There are records of marriage between men dating back to the first century.Michael McConnell and Jack Baker are the first same sex couple in modern recorded history known to obtain a marriage license, have their marriage solemnized, which occurred on September 3, 1971, in Minnesota, and have it legally recognized by any form of government. The first law providing for marriage equality between same-sex and opposite-sex couples was passed in the continental Netherlands in 2000 and took effect on 1 April 2001. The application of marriage law equally to same-sex and opposite-sex couples has varied by jurisdiction, and has come about through legislative change to marriage law, court rulings based on constitutional guarantees of equality, recognition that marriage of same-sex couples is allowed by existing marriage law, and by direct popular vote, such as through referendums and initiatives. The most prominent supporters of same-sex marriage are the world's major medical and scientific communities,human rights and civil rights organizations, and some progressive religious groups, while its most prominent opponents are from conservative religious groups (some of which nonetheless support same-sex civil unions providing legal protections for same-sex couples).Polls consistently show continually rising support for the recognition of same-sex marriage in all developed democracies and in many developing countries.

Scientific studies show that the financial, psychological, and physical well-being of gay people is enhanced by marriage, and that the children of same-sex parents benefit from being raised by married same-sex couples within a marital union that is recognized by law and supported by societal institutions. At the same time, no harm is done to the institution of marriage among heterosexuals. Social science research indicates that the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage stigmatizes and invites public discrimination against gay and lesbian people, with research repudiating the notion that either civilization or viable social orders depend upon restricting marriage to heterosexuals. Same-sex marriage can provide those in committed same-sex relationships with relevant government services and make financial demands on them comparable to that required of those in opposite-sex marriages, and also gives them legal protections such as inheritance and hospital visitation rights. Opposition is often based on religious teachings, such as the view that marriage is meant to be between men and women, and that procreation is the natural goal of marriage. Other forms of opposition are based on claims such as that homosexuality is unnatural and abnormal, that the recognition of same-sex unions will promote homosexuality in society, and that children are better off when raised by opposite-sex couples. These claims are refuted by scientific studies, which show that homosexuality is a natural and normal variation in human sexuality, that sexual orientation is not a choice, and that children of same-sex couples fare just as well as the children of opposite-sex couples.

Terminology

Alternative terms

image
Two men marry, surrounded by wedding party, in New Orleans, United States on 11 November 2017

Some proponents of the legal recognition of same-sex marriage—such as Marriage Equality USA (founded in 1998), Freedom to Marry (founded in 2003), Canadians for Equal Marriage, and Marriage for All Japan - used the terms marriage equality and equal marriage to signal that their goal was for same-sex marriage to be recognized on equal ground with opposite-sex marriage. The Associated Press recommends the use of same-sex marriage over gay marriage. In deciding whether to use the term gay marriage, it may also be noted that not everyone in a same-sex marriage is gay – for example, some are bisexual – and therefore using the term gay marriage is sometimes considered erasure of such people. A further move to more inclusive language has been the shift from same-sex relationship to same-gender relationship, and similarly to same-gender marriage to not restrict individuals within the relationship by sexual orientation, as gender identity is a spectrum and noting that historical terms excluded members of the LGBTQ+ community and were forms of bisexual or transgender erasure.

Use of the term marriage

Anthropologists have struggled to determine a definition of marriage that absorbs commonalities of the social construct across cultures around the world. Many proposed definitions have been criticized for failing to recognize the existence of same-sex marriage in some cultures, including those of more than 30 African peoples, such as the Kikuyu and Nuer.

With several countries revising their marriage laws to recognize same-sex couples in the 21st century, all major English dictionaries have revised their definition of the word marriage to either drop gender specifications or supplement them with secondary definitions to include gender-neutral language or explicit recognition of same-sex unions. The Oxford English Dictionary has recognized same-sex marriage since 2000.

Opponents of same-sex marriage who want marriage to be restricted to pairings of a man and a woman, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Catholic Church, and the Southern Baptist Convention, use the term traditional marriage to mean opposite-sex marriage.

History

Ancient

A reference to marriage between same-sex couples appears in the Sifra, which was written in the 3rd century CE. The Book of Leviticus prohibited homosexual relations, and the Hebrews were warned not to "follow the acts of the land of Egypt or the acts of the land of Canaan" (Lev. 18:22, 20:13). The Sifra clarifies what these ambiguous "acts" were, and that they included marriage between same-sex couples: "A man would marry a man and a woman a woman, a man would marry a woman and her daughter, and a woman would be married to two men."

A few scholars believe that in the early Roman Empire some male couples were celebrating traditional marriage rites in the presence of friends. Male–male weddings are reported by sources that mock them; the feelings of the participants are not recorded. Various ancient sources state that the emperor Nero celebrated two public weddings with males, once taking the role of the bride (with a freedman Pythagoras), and once the groom (with Sporus); there may have been a third in which he was the bride. In the early 3rd century AD, the emperor Elagabalus is reported to have been the bride in a wedding to his male partner. Other mature men at his court had husbands, or said they had husbands in imitation of the emperor.Roman law did not recognize marriage between males, but one of the grounds for disapproval expressed in Juvenal's satire is that celebrating the rites would lead to expectations for such marriages to be registered officially. As the empire was becoming Christianized in the 4th century, legal prohibitions against marriage between males began to appear.

In 17th century China, writer Li Yu and scholar-bureaucrat Shen Defu wrote about a system of male marriages in the Fujian region. The older man in the union would play the masculine role as a qixiong or "adoptive older brother", paying a "bride price" to the family of the younger man—it was said virgins fetched higher prices—who became the qidi, or "adoptive younger brother". Li Yu described the ceremony, "They do not skip the three cups of tea or the six wedding rituals- it is just like a proper marriage with a formal wedding."

Contemporary

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Newly married couple in Minnesota shortly after the federal legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, 2015

Michael McConnell and Jack Baker are the first same sex couple in modern recorded history known to obtain a marriage license, have their marriage solemnized, which occurred on September 3, 1971, in Minnesota, and have it legally recognized by any form of government. Historians variously trace the beginning of the modern movement in support of same-sex marriage to anywhere from around the 1980s to the 1990s. During the 1980s in the United States, the AIDS epidemic led to increased attention on the legal aspects of same-sex relationships.Andrew Sullivan made the first case for same sex marriage in a major American journal in 1989, published in The New Republic.

In 1989, Denmark became the first country to legally recognize a relationship for same-sex couples, establishing registered partnerships, which gave those in same-sex relationships "most rights of married heterosexuals, but not the right to adopt or obtain joint custody of a child". In 2001, the continental Netherlands became the first country to broaden marriage laws to include same-sex couples. Since then, same-sex marriage has been established by law in 38 other countries, including most of the Americas and Western Europe. Yet its spread has been uneven — South Africa is the only country in Africa to take the step; Taiwan and Thailand are the only ones in Asia.

Timeline

The summary table below lists in chronological order the sovereign states (the United Nations member states and Taiwan) that have legalized same-sex marriage. As of 2025, 38 states have legalized in some capacity.

Dates are when marriages between same-sex couples began to be officially certified, or when local laws were passed if marriages were already legal under higher authority.

2001 image Netherlands (1 April)
2002
2003
  • image Belgium (1 June)
  • Ontario (10 June)
  • British Columbia (8 July)
2004
  • Quebec (19 March)
  • Massachusetts (17 May)
  • Yukon (14 July)
  • Manitoba (16 September)
  • Nova Scotia (24 September)
  • Saskatchewan (5 November)
  • Newfoundland and Labrador (21 December)
2005
  • New Brunswick (23 June)
  • image Spain (3 July)
  • image Canada [nationwide] (20 July)
2006 image South Africa (30 November)
2007
2008
  • California (June 16, repealed November 5)
  • Connecticut (12 November)
2009
  • image Norway (1 January)
  • Iowa (27 April)
  • image Sweden (1 May)
  • Coquille Indian Tribe (20 May)
  • Vermont (1 September)
2010
  • New Hampshire (1 January)
  • District of Columbia (3 March)
  • Mexican Federal District (4 March)
  • Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (29 April)
  • image Portugal (5 June)
  • image Iceland (27 June)
  • image Argentina (22 July)
2011
  • New York (24 July)
  • Suquamish Tribe (1 August)
  • Alagoas (7 December)
2012
  • Quintana Roo (3 May)
  • image Denmark (15 June)
  • Sergipe (5 July)
  • Santa Rita do Sapucaí, Minas Gerais (11 July)
  • Espírito Santo (15 August)
  • Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (10 October)
  • Bahia (26 November)
  • Brazilian Federal District (1 December)
  • Washington (6 December)
  • Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe (9 December)
  • Piauí (15 December)
  • Maine (29 December)
2013
  • Maryland (1 January)
  • São Paulo (16 February)
  • Ceará (15 March)
  • Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (15 March)
  • Paraná (26 March)
  • Mato Grosso do Sul (2 April)
  • Rondônia (26 April)
  • Santa Catarina (29 April)
  • Paraíba (29 April)
  • Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians (8 May)
  • image Brazil [nationwide] (16 May)
  • image France (18 May)
  • Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel (24 June)
  • California (28 June)
  • Delaware (1 July)
  • Minnesota (1 August)
  • Rhode Island (1 August)
  • Grand Portage Band of Chippewa (1 August)
  • image Uruguay (5 August)
  • image New Zealand (19 August)
  • Doña Ana County, New Mexico (21 August)
  • Santa Fe County, New Mexico (23 August)
  • Bernalillo County, New Mexico (26 August)
  • San Miguel County, New Mexico (27 August)
  • Valencia County, New Mexico (27 August)
  • Taos County, New Mexico (28 August)
  • Los Alamos County, New Mexico (4 September)
  • Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (5 September)
  • Grant County, New Mexico (9 September)
  • Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes (18 October)
  • New Jersey (21 October)
  • Blue Lake Rancheria (1 November)
  • Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe (15 November)
  • Hawaii (2 December)
  • New Mexico [statewide] (19 December)
  • Utah (20 December, repealed 6 January 2014)
2014
  • Cook County, Illinois (21 February)
  • image image England and Wales (13 March)
  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (13 March)
  • Oregon (19 May)
  • Pennsylvania (20 May)
  • Illinois [statewide] (1 June)
  • Akrotiri and Dhekelia (3 June)
  • British Indian Ocean Territory (3 June)
  • Puyallup Tribe of Indians (9 July)
  • Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (16 July)
  • Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians (10 August)
  • Coahuila (17 September)
  • Oklahoma (6 October)
  • Virginia (6 October)
  • Utah (6 October)
  • Indiana (6 October)
  • Wisconsin (6 October)
  • Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (6 October)
  • Colorado (7 October)
  • West Virginia (9 October)
  • Nevada (9 October)
  • Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes (9 October)
  • North Carolina (10 October)
  • Alaska (12 October)
  • Idaho (15 October)
  • Arizona (17 October)
  • Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation (17 October)
  • Pascua Yaqui Tribe (17 October)
  • Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (17 October)
  • San Carlos Apache Tribe (17 October)
  • Yavapai-Apache Nation (17 October)
  • Wyoming (21 October)
  • St. Louis, Missouri (5 November)
  • St. Louis County, Missouri (6 November)
  • Jackson County, Missouri (7 November)
  • Douglas County, Kansas (12 November)
  • Sedgwick County, Kansas (12 November)
  • Eastern Shoshone Tribe (14 November)
  • Northern Arapaho Tribe (14 November)
  • Montana (19 November)
  • Blackfeet Nation (19 November)
  • South Carolina (20 November)
  • Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (13 December)
  • image Scotland (16 December)
2015
  • image Luxembourg (1 January)
  • Miami-Dade County, Florida (5 January)
  • Florida [statewide] (6 January)
  • Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (24 February)
  • Pitcairn Islands (14 May)
  • Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (15 May)
  • Guam (9 June)
  • Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin (10 June)
  • Chihuahua (12 June)
  • image United States [nationwide] (26 June)
  • Northern Mariana Islands (30 June)
  • Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (7 July)
  • United States Virgin Islands (9 July)
  • Puerto Rico (13 July)
  • Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro (21 July)
  • Hannahville Indian Community (3 August)
  • White Mountain Apache Tribe (9 September)
  • image Ireland (16 November)
  • Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon (18 November)
  • Nayarit (23 December)
2016
  • Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians (2 February)
  • image Greenland (1 April)
  • image Colombia (28 April)
  • Tulalip Tribes of Washington (6 May)
  • Jalisco [statewide] (12 May)
  • Campeche (20 May)
  • Colima (12 June)
  • Michoacán (23 June)
  • Morelos (5 July)
  • Isle of Man (22 July)
  • San Pedro Cholula, Puebla (18 September)
  • British Antarctic Territory (13 October)
  • Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin (3 November)
  • Cherokee Nation (9 December)
  • Gibraltar (15 December)
2017
  • Ascension Island (1 January)
  • Amealco de Bonfil, Querétaro (4 January)
  • Cadereyta de Montes, Querétaro (4 January)
  • Ezequiel Montes, Querétaro (4 January)
  • Huimilpan, Querétaro (4 January)
  • Pedro Escobedo, Querétaro (4 January)
  • San Joaquín, Querétaro (4 January)
  • Tolimán, Querétaro (4 January)
  • image Finland (1 March)
  • Osage Nation (20 March)
  • Prairie Island Indian Community (22 March)
  • Falkland Islands (29 April)
  • Guernsey (2 May)
  • Bermuda (5 May, repealed 1 June 2018)
  • Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin (5 June)
  • image Faroe Islands (1 July)
  • Tristan da Cunha (4 August)
  • image Malta (1 September)
  • image Germany (1 October)
  • Ak-Chin Indian Community (25 October)
  • Baja California (3 November)
  • image Australia (9 December)
  • Saint Helena (20 December)
2018
  • Puebla [statewide] (16 February)
  • Chiapas (11 May)
  • Alderney (14 June)
  • Jersey (1 July)
  • Oaxaca (26 August)
  • Ponca Tribe of Nebraska (27 August)
  • Bermuda (23 November, repealed 14 March 2022)
2019
  • image Austria (1 January)
  • Zacatecas, Zacatecas (14 February)
  • Cuauhtémoc, Zacatecas (1 March)
  • Villanueva, Zacatecas (20 May)
  • San Luis Potosí (21 May)
  • image Taiwan (24 May)
  • Nuevo León (31 May)
  • Hidalgo (11 June)
  • Baja California Sur (29 June)
  • Miguel Auza, Zacatecas (by 5 July)
  • image Ecuador (8 July)
  • Oglala Sioux Tribe (8 July)
  • Bay Mills Indian Community (8 July)
  • Colorado River Indian Tribes (8 August)
  • Aguascalientes (16 August)
2020
  • image Northern Ireland [final jurisdiction in the image United Kingdom] (13 January)
  • Sark (23 April)
  • image Costa Rica (26 May)
  • Fresnillo, Zacatecas (3 July)
  • Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (6 August)
  • Tlaxcala (25 December)
2021
  • Sinaloa (30 June)
  • Sonora (22 October)
  • Querétaro [statewide] (13 November)
  • Guanajuato (20 December)
  • Zacatecas [statewide] (30 December)
2022
  • Yucatán (4 March)
  • image Chile (10 March)
  • Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska (11 April)
  • Chickasaw Nation (18 April)
  • Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (25 May)
  • Veracruz (13 June)
  • image Switzerland (1 July)
  • image Slovenia (8 or 9 July)
  • Durango (19 September)
  • image Cuba (27 September)
  • Tabasco (27 October)
  • State of Mexico (2 November)
  • Tamaulipas (19 November)
  • Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (21 December)
  • Guerrero [statewide; final jurisdiction in image Mexico] (31 December)
2023
  • image Andorra (17 February)
  • Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi (16 March)
  • Choctaw Nation (23 May)
2024
  • image Estonia (1 January)
  • image Greece (16 February)
  • image Aruba (12 July)
  • image Curaçao (12 July)
2025
  • image Liechtenstein (1 January)
  • image Thailand (23 January)

Same-sex marriage around the world

Same-sex marriage is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries: 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, and Uruguay. Same-sex marriage performed remotely or abroad is recognized with full marital rights by Israel.

image
  Marriage open to same-sex couples
  Same-sex marriage recognized with full rights when performed remotely or abroad
  Civil unions or domestic partnerships
  Unregistered cohabitation or legal guardianship
  Nonbinding certification
  Limited recognition of marriage performed in certain other jurisdictions (residency rights for spouses)
  No legal recognition of same-sex unions

Same-sex marriage is under consideration by the legislature or the courts in El Salvador,Italy,Japan,Nepal, and Venezuela.

Civil unions are being considered in a number of countries, including Kosovo,Peru, the Philippines and Poland.

On 12 March 2015, the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution encouraging EU institutions and member states to "[reflect] on the recognition of same-sex marriage or same-sex civil union as a political, social and human and civil rights issue".

In response to the international spread of same-sex marriage, a number of countries have enacted preventative constitutional bans, with the most recent being Mali in 2023, and Gabon in 2024. In other countries, such restrictions and limitations are effected through legislation. Even before same-sex marriage was first legislated, some countries had constitutions that specified that marriage was between a man and a woman.

image
  Same-sex marriage banned by secular constitution
  Same-sex marriage banned by constitutionally mandated religious law
  No constitutional ban

International court rulings

European Court of Human Rights

In 2010, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in Schalk and Kopf v Austria, a case involving an Austrian same-sex couple who were denied the right to marry. The court found, by a vote of 4 to 3, that their human rights had not been violated. The court further stated that same-sex unions are not protected under art. 12 of ECHR ("Right to marry"), which exclusively protects the right to marry of opposite-sex couples (without regard if the sex of the partners is the result of birth or of sex change), but they are protected under art. 8 of ECHR ("Right to respect for private and family life") and art. 14 ("Prohibition of discrimination").

Article 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights states that: "Men and women of marriageable age have the right to marry and to found a family, according to the national laws governing the exercise of this right", not limiting marriage to those in a heterosexual relationship. However, the ECHR stated in Schalk and Kopf v Austria that this provision was intended to limit marriage to heterosexual relationships, as it used the term "men and women" instead of "everyone". Nevertheless, the court accepted and is considering cases concerning same-sex marriage recognition, e.g. Andersen v Poland. In 2021, the court ruled in Fedotova and Others v. Russia—followed by later judgements concerning other member states—that countries must provide some sort of legal recognition to same-sex couples, although not necessarily marriage.

European Union

On 5 June 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled, in a case from Romania, that, under the specific conditions of the couple in question, married same-sex couples have the same residency rights as other married couples in an EU country, even if that country does not permit or recognize same-sex marriage. However, the ruling was not implemented in Romania and on 14 September 2021 the European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the European Commission to ensure that the ruling is respected across the EU.

Inter-American Court of Human Rights

image
Alexandra Chávez and Michelle Avilés, the first same-sex couple to marry in Ecuador

On 8 January 2018, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) issued an advisory opinion that states party to the American Convention on Human Rights should grant same-sex couples accession to all existing domestic legal systems of family registration, including marriage, along with all rights that derive from marriage. The Court recommended that governments issue temporary decrees recognizing same-sex marriage until new legislation is brought in. They also said that it was inadmissible and discriminatory for a separate legal provision to be established (such as civil unions) instead of same-sex marriage.

Other arrangements

Civil unions

image
Many advocates, such as this November 2008 protester at a demonstration in New York City against California Proposition 8, reject the notion of civil unions, describing them as inferior to the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.

Civil union, civil partnership, domestic partnership, registered partnership, unregistered partnership, and unregistered cohabitation statuses offer varying legal benefits of marriage. As of 17 September 2025, countries that have an alternative form of legal recognition other than marriage on a national level are: Bolivia, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Monaco, Montenegro and San Marino. Same-sex marriage performed remotely or abroad is recognized with full marital rights by Israel. Poland offers more limited rights. Additionally, various cities and counties in Cambodia and Japan offer same-sex couples varying levels of benefits, which include hospital visitation rights and others.

Additionally, eighteen countries that have legally recognized same-sex marriage also have an alternative form of recognition for same-sex couples, usually available to heterosexual couples as well: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and Uruguay.

They are also available in parts of the United States (Arizona,California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, Nevada and Oregon) and Canada.

Non-sexual same-sex marriage

Kenya

Female same-sex marriage is practiced among the Gikuyu, Nandi, Kamba, Kipsigis, and to a lesser extent neighboring peoples. About 5–10% of women are in such marriages. However, this is not seen as homosexual, but is instead a way for families without sons to keep their inheritance within the family.

Nigeria

Among the Igbo people and probably other peoples in the south of the country, there are circumstances where a marriage between women is considered appropriate, such as when a woman has no child and her husband dies, and she takes a wife to perpetuate her inheritance and family lineage.

Studies

The American Anthropological Association stated on 26 February 2004:

The results of more than a century of anthropological research on households, kinship relationships, and families, across cultures and through time, provide no support whatsoever for the view that either civilization or viable social orders depend upon marriage as an exclusively heterosexual institution. Rather, anthropological research supports the conclusion that a vast array of family types, including families built upon same-sex partnerships, can contribute to stable and humane societies.

Research findings from 1998 to 2015 from the University of Virginia, Michigan State University, Florida State University, the University of Amsterdam, the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Stanford University, the University of California-San Francisco, the University of California-Los Angeles, Tufts University, Boston Medical Center, the Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, and independent researchers also support the findings of this study.[vague]

The overall socio-economic and health effects of legal access to same-sex marriage around the world have been summarized by Badgett and co-authors. The review found that sexual minority individuals took-up legal marriage when it became available to them (but at lower rates than different-sex couples). There is instead no evidence that same-sex marriage legalization affected different-sex marriages. On the health side, same-sex marriage legalization increased health insurance coverage for individuals in same-sex couples (in the US), and it led to improvements in sexual health among men who have sex with men, while there is mixed evidence on mental health effects among sexual minorities. In addition, the study found mixed evidence on a range of downstream social outcomes such as attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people and employment choices of sexual minorities.

Health

As of 2006, the data of current psychological and other social science studies on same-sex marriage in comparison to mixed-sex marriage indicate that same-sex and mixed-sex relationships do not differ in their essential psychosocial dimensions; that a parent's sexual orientation is unrelated to their ability to provide a healthy and nurturing family environment; and that marriage bestows substantial psychological, social, and health benefits. Same-sex parents and carers and their children are likely to benefit in numerous ways from legal recognition of their families, and providing such recognition through marriage will bestow greater benefit than civil unions or domestic partnerships.[needs update] Studies in the United States have correlated legalization of same-sex marriage to lower rates of HIV infection, psychiatric disorders, and suicide rate in the LGBT population.

Issues

While few societies have recognized same-sex unions as marriages,[needs update] the historical and anthropological record reveals a large range of attitudes towards same-sex unions ranging from praise, through full acceptance and integration, sympathetic toleration, indifference, prohibition and discrimination, to persecution and physical annihilation.[citation needed] Opponents of same-sex marriages have argued that same-sex marriage, while doing good for the couples that participate in them and the children they are raising, undermines a right of children to be raised by their biological mother and father. Some supporters of same-sex marriages take the view that the government should have no role in regulating personal relationships, while others argue that same-sex marriages would provide social benefits to same-sex couples. The debate regarding same-sex marriages includes debate based upon social viewpoints as well as debate based on majority rules, religious convictions, economic arguments, health-related concerns, and a variety of other issues.[citation needed]

Parenting

image
Gay couple with a child

Scientific literature indicates that parents' financial, psychological and physical well-being is enhanced by marriage and that children benefit from being raised by two parents within a legally recognized union (either a mixed-sex or same-sex union). As a result, professional scientific associations have argued for same-sex marriage to be legally recognized as it will be beneficial to the children of same-sex parents or carers.

Scientific research has been generally consistent in showing that lesbian and gay parents are as fit and capable as heterosexual parents, and their children are as psychologically healthy and well-adjusted as children reared by heterosexual parents. According to scientific literature reviews, there is no evidence to the contrary.[needs update]

Compared to heterosexual couples, same-sex couples have a greater need for adoption or assisted reproductive technology to become parents. Lesbian couples often use artificial insemination to achieve pregnancy, and reciprocal in vitro fertilization (where one woman provides the egg and the other gestates the child) is becoming more popular in the 2020s, although many couples cannot afford it. Surrogacy is an option for wealthier gay male couples, but the cost is prohibitive. Other same-sex couples adopt children or raise the children from earlier opposite-sex relationships.

Adoption

image
Legal status of adoption by same-sex couples around the world:
  Joint adoption allowed
  Second-parent (stepchild) adoption allowed
  No laws allowing adoption by same-sex couples and no same-sex marriage
  Same-sex marriage but adoption by married same-sex couples not allowed

All states that allow same-sex marriage also allow the joint adoption of children by those couples with the exception of Ecuador and a third of states in Mexico, though such restrictions have been ruled unconstitutional in Mexico. In addition, Bolivia, Croatia and Israel, which do not recognize same-sex marriage, nonetheless permit joint adoption by same-sex couples. Some additional states do not recognize same-sex marriage but allow stepchild adoption by couples in civil unions, namely the Czech Republic and San Marino.[citation needed]

Transgender and intersex people

The legal status of same-sex marriage may have implications for the marriages of couples in which one or both parties are transgender, depending on how sex is defined within a jurisdiction. Transgender and intersex individuals may be prohibited from marrying partners of the "opposite" sex or permitted to marry partners of the "same" sex due to legal distinctions.[citation needed] In any legal jurisdiction where marriages are defined without distinction of a requirement of a male and female, these complications do not occur. In addition, some legal jurisdictions recognize a legal and official change of gender, which would allow a transgender male or female to be legally married in accordance with an adopted gender identity.

In the United Kingdom, the Gender Recognition Act 2004 allows a person who has lived in their chosen gender for at least two years to receive a gender recognition certificate officially recognizing their new gender. Because in the United Kingdom marriages were until recently only for mixed-sex couples and civil partnerships are only for same-sex couples, a person had to dissolve their civil partnership before obtaining a gender recognition certificate[citation needed], and the same was formerly true for marriages in England and Wales, and still is in other territories. Such people are then free to enter or re-enter civil partnerships or marriages in accordance with their newly recognized gender identity. In Austria, a similar provision requiring transsexual people to divorce before having their legal sex marker corrected was found to be unconstitutional in 2006. In Quebec, prior to the legalization of same-sex marriage, only unmarried people could apply for legal change of gender. With the advent of same-sex marriage, this restriction was dropped. A similar provision including sterilization also existed in Sweden, but was phased out in 2013. In the United States, transgender and intersex marriages was subject to legal complications. As definitions and enforcement of marriage are defined by the states, these complications vary from state to state, as some of them prohibit legal changes of gender.

Divorce

In the United States before the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, couples in same-sex marriages could only obtain a divorce in jurisdictions that recognized same-sex marriages, with some exceptions.

Judicial and legislative

There are differing positions regarding the manner in which same-sex marriage has been introduced into democratic jurisdictions. A "majority rules" position holds that same-sex marriage is valid, or void and illegal, based upon whether it has been accepted by a simple majority of voters or of their elected representatives.

In contrast, a civil rights view holds that the institution can be validly created through the ruling of an impartial judiciary carefully examining the questioning and finding that the right to marry regardless of the gender of the participants is guaranteed under the civil rights laws of the jurisdiction.

Public opinion

image
Public opinion of same-sex marriage. Fraction in favor:

Numerous polls and studies on the issue have been conducted. A trend of increasing support for same-sex marriage has been revealed across many countries of the world, often driven in large part by a generational difference in support. Polling that was conducted in developed democracies in this century shows a majority of people in support of same-sex marriage. Support for same-sex marriage has increased across every age group, political ideology, religion, gender, race and region of various developed countries in the world.[needs update]

Various detailed polls and studies on same-sex marriage that were conducted in several countries show that support for same-sex marriage significantly increases with higher levels of education and is also significantly stronger among younger generations, with a clear trend of continually increasing support.

Greater support with youth

Pew Research polling results from 32 countries found 21 with statistically higher support for same-sex marriage among those under 35 than among those over 35 in 2022–2023. Countries with the greatest absolute difference are placed to the left in the following chart. Countries without a significant generational difference are placed to the right.

10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Taiw
Mex
Sing
ROK
HK
Gre
Pol
Viet
Thai
Jpn
Cam
Braz
USA
Arg
Ital
Oz
S. Af.
Sri Lanka
Keny
Swed
Malay
Neth
Spa
Fran
Germ
Cana
UK
India
Isra
Hung
Indo
Nigeria
  •   over 35
  •   additional support from those under 35

A 2016 survey by the Varkey Foundation found similarly high support of same-sex marriage (63%) among 18–21-year-olds in an online survey of 18 countries around the world.

10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Germ
Cana
Oz
UK
NZ
Fran
Ital
Arg
USA
Braz
Chin
S. Af.
India
Jpn
Isra
ROK
Turk
Nigeria

(The sampling error is approx. 4% for Nigeria and 3% for the other countries. Because of legal constraints, the question on same-sex marriage was not asked in the survey countries of Russia and Indonesia.)

Opinion polls for same-sex marriage by country
  Same-sex marriage performed nationwide
  Same-sex marriage performed in some parts of the country
  Civil unions or registered partnerships nationwide
  Civil unions or registered partnerships pending
  Same-sex marriage rights pending
  Same-sex sexual activity is illegal
Country Pollster Year For Against Neither Margin
of error
Ref.
image Albania IPSOS 2023 26%
73%
(74%)
1%
image Andorra Institut d'Estudis Andorrans 2013 70%
(79%)
19%
(21%)
11%
image Antigua and Barbuda AmericasBarometer 2017 12%
image Argentina Ipsos 2024 69%
(81%)
16% [9% support some rights]
(19%)
15% not sure ±5%
Pew Research Center 2023 67%
(72%)
26%
(28%)
7% ±3.6%
image Armenia Pew Research Center 2015 3%
(3%)
96%
(97%)
1% ±3%
image Aruba 2021 46%
image Australia Ipsos 2024 64%
(73%)
25% [13% support some rights]
(28%)
12% not sure ±3.5%
Pew Research Center 2023 75%
(77%)
23% 2% ±3.6%
image Austria Eurobarometer 2023 65%
(68%)
30%
(32%)
5%
image Bahamas AmericasBarometer 2015 11%
image Belarus Pew Research Center 2015 16%
(16%)
81%
(84%)
3% ±4%
image Belgium Ipsos 2024 69%
(78%)
19% [9% support some rights]
(22%)
12% not sure ±5%
Eurobarometer 2023 79% 19% 2% not sure
image Belize AmericasBarometer 2014 8%
image Bolivia AmericasBarometer 2017 35% 65% ±1.0%
image Bosnia and Herzegovina IPSOS 2023 26%
(27%)
71%
(73%)
3%
image Brazil Ipsos (more urban/educated than representative) 2024 51%
(62%)
31% [17% support some rights]
(38%)
18% not sure ±3.5%
Pew Research Center 2023 52%
(57%)
40%
(43%)
8% ±3.6%
image Bulgaria Eurobarometer 2023 17%
(18%)
75%
(82%)
8%
image Cambodia Pew Research Center 2023 57%
(58%)
42% 1%
image Canada Ipsos 2024 65%
(75%)
22% [10% support some rights]
(25%)
13% not sure ±3.5%
Pew Research Center 2023 79%
(84%)
15%
(16%)
6% ±3.6%
image Chile Cadem 2024 77%
(82%)
22%
(18%)
2% ±3.6%
image China Ipsos (more urban/educated than representative) 2021 43%
(52%)
39% [20% support some rights]
(48%)
18% not sure ±3.5%
image Colombia Ipsos (more urban/educated than representative) 2024 46%
(58%)
33% [19% support some rights]
(42%)
21% ±5%
Invamer 2024 43%
(45%)
53%
(55%)
4%
image Costa Rica CIEP 2018 35% 64% 1%
image Croatia Eurobarometer 2023 42%
(45%)
51%
(55%)
7%
image Cuba Apretaste 2019 63% 37%
image Cyprus Eurobarometer 2023 50%
(53%)
44%
(47%)
6%
image Czech Republic Eurobarometer 2023 60% 34% 6%
image Denmark Eurobarometer 2023 93% 5% 2%
image Dominica AmericasBarometer 2017 10% 90% ±1.1%
image Dominican Republic CDN 37 2018 45% 55% -
image Ecuador AmericasBarometer 2019 23%
(31%)
51%
(69%)
26%
image El Salvador Universidad Francisco Gavidia 2021 82.5%
image Estonia Eurobarometer 2023 41%
(45%)
51%
(55%)
8%
image Finland Eurobarometer 2023 76%
(81%)
18%
(19%)
6%
image France Ipsos 2024 62%
(70%)
26% [16% support some rights]
(30%)
12% not sure ±3.5%
Pew Research Center 2023 82%
(85%)
14%
(15%)
4% ±3.6%
Eurobarometer 2023 79%
(85%)
14
(%)
(15%)
7%
image Georgia Women's Initiatives Supporting Group 2021 10%
(12%)
75%
(88%)
15%
image Germany Ipsos 2024 73%
(83%)
18% [10% support some rights]
(20%)
12% not sure ±3.5%
Pew Research Center 2023 80%
(82%)
18% 2% ±3.6%
Eurobarometer 2023 84%
(87%)
13%< 3%
image Greece Pew Research Center 2023 48%
(49%)
49%
(51%)
3% ±3.6%
Eurobarometer 2023 57%
(59%)
40%
(41%)
3%
image Grenada AmericasBarometer 2017 12% 88% ±1.4%c
image Guatemala AmericasBarometer 2017 23% 77% ±1.1%
image Guyana AmericasBarometer 2017 21% 79% ±1.3%
image Haiti AmericasBarometer 2017 5% 95% ±0.3%
image Honduras CID Gallup 2018 17%
(18%)
75%
(82%)
8%
image Hong Kong Pew Research Center 2023 58%
(59%)
40%
(41%)
2%
image Hungary Ipsos 2024 44%
(56%)
35% [18% support some rights]
(44%)
21% not sure ±5%
Pew Research Center 2023 31%
(33%)
64%
(67%)
5% ±3.6%
Eurobarometer 2023 42%
(45%)
52%
(55%)
6%
image Iceland Gallup 2006 89% 11%
image India Pew Research Center 2023 53%
(55%)
43%
(45%)
4% ±3.6%
image Indonesia Pew Research Center 2023 5% 92%
(95%)
3% ±3.6%
image Ireland Ipsos (more urban/educated than representative) 2024 68%
(76%)
21% [8% support some rights]
(23%)
10% ±5%
Eurobarometer 2023 86%
(91%)
9% 5%
image Israel Pew Research Center 2023 36%
(39%)
56%
(61%)
8% ±3.6%
image Italy Ipsos 2024 58%
(66%)
29% [19% support some rights]
(33%)
12% not sure ±3.5%
Pew Research Center 2023 73%
(75%)
25% 2% ±3.6%
Eurobarometer 2023 69%
(72%)
27%
(28%)
4%
image Jamaica AmericasBarometer 2017 16% 84% ±1.0%
image Japan Kyodo News 2023 64%
(72%)
25%
(28%)
11%
Asahi Shimbun 2023 72%
(80%)
18%
(20%)
10%
Ipsos 2024 42%
(54%)
31% [25% support some rights]
(40%)
22% not sure ±3.5%
Pew Research Center 2023 68%
(72%)
26%
(28%)
6% ±2.75%
image Kazakhstan Pew Research Center 2016 7%
(7%)
89%
(93%)
4%
image Kenya Pew Research Center 2023 9% 90%
(91%)
1% ±3.6%
image Kosovo IPSOS 2023 20%
(21%)
77%
(79%)
3%
image Latvia Eurobarometer 2023 36% 59% 5%
image Liechtenstein Liechtenstein Institut 2021 72% 28% 0%
image Lithuania Eurobarometer 2023 39% 55% 6%
image Luxembourg Eurobarometer 2023 84% 13% 3%

image Malaysia

Pew Research Center 2023 17% 82%
(83%)
1%
image Malta Eurobarometer 2023 74% 24% 2%
image Mexico Ipsos (more urban/educated than representative) 2024 55% 29% [16% support some rights] 17% not sure ±3.5%
Pew Research Center 2023 63%
(66%)
32%
(34%)
5% ±3.6%
image Moldova Europa Libera Moldova 2022 14% 86%
image Montenegro IPSOS 2023 36%
(37%)
61%
(63%)
3%
image Mozambique (3 cities) Lambda 2017 28%
(32%)
60%
(68%)
12%
image Netherlands Ipsos 2024 77% 15% [8% support some rights] 8% not sure ±5%
Pew Research Center 2023 89%
(90%)
10% 1% ±3.6%
Eurobarometer 2023 94% 5% 2%
image New Zealand Ipsos 2023 70%
(78%)
20% [11% support some rights]
(22%)
9% ±3.5%
image Nicaragua AmericasBarometer 2017 25% 75% ±1.0%
image Nigeria Pew Research Center 2023 2% 97%
(98%)
1% ±3.6%
image North Macedonia IPSOS 2023 20%
(21%)
78%
(80%)
2%
image Norway Pew Research Center 2017 72%
(79%)
19%
(21%)
9%
image Panama AmericasBarometer 2017 22% 78% ±1.1%
image Paraguay AmericasBarometer 2017 26% 74% ±0.9%
image Peru Ipsos (more urban/educated than representative) 2024 36%
44% [30% support some rights] 20% ±5%
image Philippines SWS 2018 22%
(26%)
61%
(73%)
16%
image Poland Ipsos 2024 51%
(54%)
43%
(46%)
6%
Pew Research Center 2023 41%
(43%)
54%
(57%)
5% ±3.6%
United Surveys by IBRiS 2024 50%
(55%)
41%
(45%)
9%
Eurobarometer 2023 50% 45% 5%
image Portugal Ipsos 2023 80%
(84%)
15% [11% support some rights]
(16%)
5%
Eurobarometer 2023 81% 14% 5%
image Romania Ipsos 2023 25%
(30%)
59% [26% support some rights]
(70%)
17% ±3.5%
Eurobarometer 2023 25% 69% 6%
image Russia Ipsos (more urban/educated than representative) 2021 17%
(21%)
64% [12% support some rights]
(79%)
20% not sure ±4.8%
FOM 2019 7%
(8%)
85%
(92%)
8% ±3.6%
image Saint Kitts and Nevis AmericasBarometer 2017 9% 91% ±1.0%
image Saint Lucia AmericasBarometer 2017 11% 89% ±0.9%
image Saint Vincent and the Grenadines AmericasBarometer 2017 4% 96% ±0.6%
image Serbia IPSOS 2023 24%
(25%)
73%
(75%)
3%
image Singapore Ipsos (more urban/educated than representative) 2024 33% 46% [21% support some rights] 21% ±5%
Pew Research Center 2023 45%
(47%)
51%
(53%)
4%
image Slovakia Focus 2024 36%
(38%)
60%
(62%)
4%
Eurobarometer 2023 37% 56% 7%
image Slovenia Eurobarometer 2023 62%
(64%)
37%
(36%)
2%
image South Africa Ipsos (more urban/educated than representative) 2024 53% 32% [14% support some rights] 13% ±5%
Pew Research Center 2023 38%
(39%)
59%
(61%)
3% ±3.6%
image South Korea Ipsos 2024 36% 37% [16% support some rights] 27% not sure ±5%
Pew Research Center 2023 41%
(42%)
56%
(58%)
3%
image Spain Ipsos 2024 73%
(80%)
19% [13% support some rights]
(21%)
9% not sure ±3.5%
Pew Research Center 2023 87%
(90%)
10% 3% ±3.6%
Eurobarometer 2023 88%
(91%)
9%
(10%)
3%
image Sri Lanka Pew Research Center 2023 23%
(25%)
69%
(75%)
8%
image Suriname AmericasBarometer 2014 18%
image Sweden Ipsos 2024 78%
(84%)
15% [8% support some rights]
(16%)
7% not sure ±5%
Pew Research Center 2023 92%
(94%)
6% 2% ±3.6%
Eurobarometer 2023 94% 5% 1%
image Switzerland Ipsos 2023 54%
(61%)
34% [16% support some rights]
(39%)
13% not sure ±3.5%
image Taiwan CNA 2023 63% 37%
Pew Research Center 2023 45%
(51%)
43%
(49%)
12%
image Thailand Ipsos (more urban/educated than representative) 2024 58% 29% [20% support some rights] 12% not sure ±5%
Pew Research Center 2023 60%
(65%)
32%
(35%)
8%
image Trinidad and Tobago AmericasBarometer 2014 16%
image Turkey Ipsos (more urban/educated than representative) 2024 18%
(26%)
52% [19% support some rights]
(74%)
30% not sure ±5%
image Ukraine Kyiv International Institute of Sociology 2023 44%
(55%)
36%
(45%)
20% ±2.2%
Rating 2023 37%
(47%)
42%
(53%)
22% ±1.5%
image United Kingdom YouGov 2023 77%
(84%)
15%
(16%)
8%
Ipsos 2024 66%
(73%)
24% [11% support some rights]
(27%)
10% not sure ±3.5%
Pew Research Center 2023 74%
(77%)
22%
(23%)
4% ±3.6%
image United States Ipsos 2024 51%
(62%)
32% [14% support some rights]
(39%)
18% not sure ±3.5%
Pew Research Center 2023 63%
(65%)
34%
(35%)
3% ±3.6%
image Uruguay LatinoBarómetro 2023 78%
(80%)
20% 2%
image Venezuela Equilibrium Cende 2023 55%
(63%)
32%
(37%)
13%
image Vietnam Pew Research Center 2023 65%
(68%)
30%
(32%)
5%

See also

  • LGBT rights by country or territory
  • Religion and sexuality
  • Legal status of same-sex marriage
  • Societal attitudes toward homosexuality

Notes

  1. Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized by law in continental Australia and in the non-self-governing possessions of Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands, which follow Australian law.
  2. Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized by law in continental Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which together make up the Realm of Denmark.
  3. Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized throughout Ecuador, but such couples are not considered married for purposes of adoption and may not adopt children.
  4. Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized by law in metropolitan France and in all French overseas regions and possessions, which follow a single legal code.
  5. Same-sex marriage is available in all jurisdictions, though the process is not everywhere as straightforward as it is for opposite-sex marriage and does not always include adoption rights.
  6. Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized by law in the continental Netherlands, the Caribbean municipalities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, and the constituent countries of Aruba and Curaçao, but not yet in Sint Maarten.
  7. Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized by law in New Zealand proper, but not in its possession of Tokelau, nor in the Cook Islands and Niue, which make up the Realm of New Zealand.
  8. Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized by law in all parts of the United Kingdom and in its non-American possessions, but not in its American possessions, namely Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
  9. Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized by law in all fifty states of the US and in the District of Columbia, in all overseas territories except American Samoa (recognition only), and in all tribal nations that do not have their own marriage laws, as well as in most nations that do. The largest of the dozen or so tribal nations that do not perform or recognize same-sex marriage are Navajo, Gila River and perhaps Yakama, and the largest (or perhaps only) among the shared-sovereignty Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Areas are the Creek, Citizen Potawatomi and Seminole. These polities ban same-sex marriage and do not recognize marriages from other jurisdictions, though members may still marry under state law and be accorded all the rights of marriage under state and federal law.
  10. Nepal is waiting for a final decision by its supreme court, but meanwhile local governments are ordered to temporarily register same-sex marriages in a separate record. In April 2024 the National ID and Civil Registration Department issued a circular to local governments that they license such marriages. However, simply obtaining marriage certificates does not grant same-sex couples the legal rights of marriage. Some district courts and local government offices are refusing to license same-sex marriages. Comprehensive statistics remain unavailable as these marriages are not being registered into the Department of National ID and Civil Registration's online system.
  11. Legally available in the Arizona municipalities of Bisbee, Clarkdale, Cottonwood, Jerome, Sedona and Tucson.
  12. Dale Carpenter is a prominent spokesman for this view. For a better understanding of this view, see Carpenter's writings at "Dale Carpenter". Independent Gay Forum. Archived from the original on 17 November 2006. Retrieved 31 October 2006.
  13. Because some polls do not report 'neither', those that do are listed with simple yes/no percentages in parentheses, so their figures can be compared.
  14. Comprises: Neutral; Don't know; No answer; Other; Refused.
  15. [+ more urban/educated than representative]

References

  1. VERPOEST, LIEN (2017). "The End of Rhetorics: LGBT policies in Russia and the European Union". Studia Diplomatica. 68 (4): 3–20. ISSN 0770-2965. JSTOR 26531664.
  2. Williams, CA., Roman Homosexuality: Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2009, p. 280, p. 284.
  3. Padnani, Amisha; Fang, Celina (26 June 2015). "Same-Sex Marriage: Landmark Decisions and Precedents". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024.
  4. Baume, Matt (1 March 2019). "Meet the Gay Men Whose 1971 Marriage Was Finally Recognized". The Advocate.
  5. StoryCorps Archive (September 12, 2017). "Michael McConnell, Jack Baker, and Lisa Vecoli". Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
    • Michael McConnell (75) and husband Jack Baker (75) talk with friend Lisa Vecoli (55) about having the first same-sex marriage legally recognized by a U.S. civil government in 1971, why they chose to get married, and what the response to their marriage was like.
    • JB describes the decades-long (46-year) process from the denial of their marriage license in 1971 until a second request that same year in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, was "declared to be in all respects valid" by Order of Gregory J. Anderson, Judge of District Court.
  6. Newsletter, "Hidden Treasures from the Stacks", The National Archives at Kansas City, p. 6 (September 2013).
    • Available online.
  7. Source: Blue Earth County
    • Certificate 434960: Minnesota Official Marriage System Archived 25 September 2024 at the Wayback Machine
    • Applicants: James Michael McConnell and Pat Lyn McConnell
    • Date of Marriage: September 3, 1971
    • Certified Copy: Marriage Certificate
  8. "The September 3, 1971 marriage of James Michael McConnell and Pat Lyn McConnell, a/k/a Richard John Baker, has never been dissolved or annulled by judicial decree and no grounds currently exist on which to invalidate the marriage."
    • Sources: CONCLUSIONS OF LAW by Assistant Chief Judge Gregory Anderson, Fifth Judicial District, (page 4);
    • Copy: Minnesota Judicial Branch Archived 25 September 2024 at the Wayback Machine, File Number 07-CV-16-4559, "Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order for Partial Summary Judgment" from Blue Earth County District Court in re James Michael McConnell et al. v. Blue Earth County et al. (September 18, 2018);
    • Available online from U of M Libraries;
    • McConnell Files, "America’s First Gay Marriage" (binder #4), Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies, U of M Libraries.
  9. Michael McConnell, with Jack Baker, as told to Gail Langer Karwoski, "The Wedding Heard Heard 'Round the World: America's First Gay Marriage Archived August 26, 2015, at the Wayback Machine". University of Minnesota Press (2016). Reprint, "With A New Epilogue" (2020).
  10. Winter, Caroline (4 December 2014). "In 14 years, same-sex marriage has spread round the world". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  11. "Same-sex Oklahoma couple marries legally under tribal law". KOCO. 26 September 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  12. "Clela Rorex, former Boulder County Clerk who issued first same-sex marriage license in 1975 dies at 78". 19 June 2022. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  13. Multiple sources:
    • Coghlan, Andy (16 June 2008). "Gay brains structured like those of the opposite sex". New Scientist. Archived from the original on 29 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
    • Lamanna, Mary Ann; Riedmann, Agnes; Stewart, Susan D. (2014). Marriages, Families, and Relationships: Making Choices in a Diverse Society. Cengage Learning. p. 82. ISBN 978-1305176898. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016. [T]he APA says that sexual orientation is not a choice [...]. (American Psychological Association, 2010).
    • Pawelski, J. G.; Perrin, E. C.; Foy, J. M.; Allen, C. E.; Crawford, J. E.; Del Monte, M.; Kaufman, M.; Klein, J. D.; Smith, K.; Springer, S.; Tanner, J. L.; Vickers, D. L. (2006). "The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-being of Children". Pediatrics. 118 (1): 349–364. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-1279. PMID 16818585. S2CID 219194821. Archived from the original on 29 April 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
    • American Medical Association; American Academy of Pediatrics; American Psychological Association; American Psychiatric Association; American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy; National Association of Social Workers; American Psychoanalytic Association; American Academy of Family Physicians; et al. "Brief of [medical organizations] as Amici Curiae in Support of Petitioners" (PDF). supremecourt.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
    • Bever, Lindsey (7 July 2014). "Children of same-sex couples are happier and healthier than peers, research shows". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
    • Pawelski, James G.; Perrin, Ellen C.; Foy, Jane M.; Allen, Carole E.; Crawford, James E.; Del Monte, Mark; Kaufman, Miriam; Klein, Jonathan D.; Smith, Karen; Springer, Sarah; Tanner, J. Lane; Vickers, Dennis L. (July 2006). "The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-being of Children". Pediatrics. 118 (1). American Academy of Pediatrics: 349–64. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-1279. PMID 16818585. S2CID 219194821. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2019. In fact, growing up with parents who are lesbian or gay may confer some advantages to children.
  14. "Brief of the American Psychological Association, The California Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy as amici curiae in support of plaintiff-appellees – Appeal from United States District Court for the Northern District of California Civil Case No. 09-CV-2292 VRW (Honorable Vaughn R. Walker)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  15. "Marriage of Same-Sex Couples – 2006 Position Statement Canadian Psychological Association" (PDF). 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 April 2009.
  16. Mirchandani, Rajesh (12 November 2008). "Divisions persist over gay marriage ban". BBC News. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  17. NYTimes.com Archived 1 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine "United Church of Christ Backs Same-Sex Marriage"
  18. "French Protestant church authorises gay marriages". 17 May 2015. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  19. "Same-sex civil unions 'good and helpful to many', says Pope Francis". Euronews. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  20. "The Divine Institution of Marriage". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 13 August 2008. Archived from the original on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  21. Molly Ball, 2024 May 13, Wall Street Journal, How 20 Years of Same-Sex Marriage Changed America
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