Federal 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 combat 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 known 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 paired 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

Same-sex marriage, which the U.S. Supreme Court in legalized nationwide in the case known as Obergefell v. Hodges, is facing resurgent hostility.

In the decade since the court’s decision, public sustain for same-sex marriage has increased. Currently, about 70% ofAmericans approve of legally recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples, a percentage-point bump from

Obergefell led to an expand in marriages among same-sex partners, with more than , same-sex couples currently married.

Despite this, Republican lawmakers in five states have recently introduced symbolic bills calling on the Supreme Court to overturn its decision in Obergefell.

And Republican lawmakers in two states hold proposed legislation that creates a modern category of marriage, called “covenant marriage,” that is reserved for one dude and one gal.

As a professor of legal studies, I believe such attacks on queer marriage represent a serious threat to the institution.

And others share my concern.

A poll of married same-sex couples set up that 54% of respondents are worried that the Supreme Court might ove

Update: Now that Trump Has Been Elected, Can Our Marriage Be Undone?

Back in , after Donald Trump was elected President, we wrote an update for the community responding to people’s fears that their marriages were under threat. Today, we’re seeing the same concerns again. So here’s a concise update on our first post.

The short answer is that there is still no realistic reason to fear that existing marriages of same-sex couples will be invalidated. The rule remains as strong as it was in that if a marriage is valid when entered, it cannot be invalidated by any later change in the law. People who are already married still should not be concerned that their marriages can be taken away. 

What about folks who aren’t currently married but may need to in the future? There are still several reasons to think that the Supreme Court is unlikely to revisit its decision guaranteeing the fundamental right to marry for all couples nationwide, at least not anytime soon.

One reason for this is that Chief Justice Roberts, who originally voted against the freedom to wed , later voted to

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 Home 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 Behave do to protect gay marriage?

The Act 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 light to states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.

Next, it prohibits states from refusing to