How many states in america allow gay marriage

As of , 37 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have legalized gay marriage. Alabama, Missouri, and Alabama have done so with restrictions.

Thirteen U.S. states have a ban on same-sex marriage; however, eight of these states have court rulings in favor of allowing same-sex marriage. There are 26 states which have constitutions including bans on same-sex marriage or other types of unions, and 30 states have statutes that ban same-sex marriage or other types of unions although these are all defunct under the Obergefell ruling.

As of , 34 states had laws or constitutional amendments prohibiting same-sex marriage. These are superseded by federal law and may also be affected by prior state supreme court or lower federal court rulings. In June of , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled all state bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry nationwide.

This timeline highlights the changes in state policies leading up to that ruling. Which states allow same-sex marriage? These 13 states, plus the District of Columbia, have legalized same-sex marriage. Couples talk about what the Supreme Court's historic decision means for. Since the first same-sex marriages were legally recognized in the Netherlands in , nearly 40 other jurisdictions — mostly in Europe and the Americas — have enacted laws allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.

This year, Thailand and Liechtenstein join the list. Use the interactive table below to sort the places allowing same-sex marriages by name, region and the year legal same-sex marriage took effect. The table also includes some key facts about the process in each jurisdiction. Table of Contents.

Fact Sheet. June 2, Austria Europe A court ruling in eventually led to the change. Belgium Europe Second country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage after its neighbor, the Netherlands. Denmark Europe Same-sex marriage became legal through a separate process in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, in Ecuador Latin America-Caribbean A court ruling made Ecuador the fifth South American country to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed.

Estonia Europe The law amended legislation recognizing same-sex civil unions and made Estonia the first Baltic country to legalize same-sex marriage. It came into effect in Germany Europe Legislation passed after then-Chancellor Angela Merkel said members of her ruling Christian Democratic Union should vote their conscience even though the party formally opposed same-sex marriage. Greece Europe First majority-Orthodox Christian nation to legalize same-sex marriage.

Malta Europe Parliament voted almost unanimously to legalize same-sex marriage. Mexico Latin America-Caribbean Same-sex marriage eventually became legal nationally after the Supreme Court declared state bans unconstitutional in In , the federal government directed all local governments to register same-sex marriages.

same-sex marriage law in the united states by state

While gay and lesbian couples can marry, there is not yet a marriage equality law on the books. Netherlands Europe First country to legalize same-sex marriage after its Parliament passed the law in December Norway Europe The law replaced a statute permitting civil unions. Slovenia Europe First country in formerly communist Eastern Europe to legalize same-sex marriage. South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Only African country where same-sex marriage is legal; several countries on the continent have passed laws in recent years that ban homosexuality.

Spain Europe Third country globally to legalize same-sex marriage after a vote in its closely divided Parliament. Sweden Europe Gay and lesbian couples in Sweden previously had been allowed to register for civil unions since Taiwan Asia-Pacific A court ruling prompted a change in the law that made Taiwan the first jurisdiction in Asia to permit gay and lesbian couples to wed.

United Kingdom Europe Legal same-sex marriage took effect in Northern Ireland in , six years after the change in England and Wales. Separate legislation was enacted in Scotland in Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution guarantees it throughout the country. The law took effect on Jan. The law passed in the National Assembly and received royal assent from King Maha Vajiralongkorn in Parliament in the small mountainous country between France and Spain voted to legalize same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage became legal through a separate process in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, in