View source for Same-sex marriage

{{short description|Marriage of persons of the same sex or gender}}
{{redirect-multi|3|Marriage equality|gay marriage|same-gender marriage|other uses|marriage equality (disambiguation)|and|gay marriage (disambiguation)}}
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{{Same-sex unions}}
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<!--- *** Please consider achieving consensus on the talk (discussion) page first before editing the introduction. *** --->
'''Same-sex marriage''', also known as '''gay marriage''' or '''same-gender marriage''', is the [[marriage]] of two people of the same legal sex or [[Legal gender|gender]]. {{As of|2025|post=,}} marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5<!--counting 1,532.722 M, including Nepal and Thailand but not Israel, 2023 UN data, out of 7,795.311M world (deducting 250M for systemic over-count in China) --> billion people (20%<!--19.66% including Nepal and Thailand--> of the world's population). The most recent jurisdiction to legalize same-sex marriage is [[Same-sex marriage in Thailand|Thailand]].

Same-sex marriage is legally recognized in a large majority of the world's [[developed country|developed countries]]; notable exceptions are [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Italy|Italy]], [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Japan|Japan]], [[Recognition of same-sex unions in South Korea|South Korea]], and the [[Recognition of same-sex unions in the Czech Republic|Czech Republic]]. [[Same-sex adoption|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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=VERPOEST |first=LIEN |date=2017 |title=The End of Rhetorics: LGBT policies in Russia and the European Union |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26531664 |journal=Studia Diplomatica |volume=68 |issue=4 |pages=3–20 |jstor=26531664 |issn=0770-2965}}</ref> 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|date=June 2024}} In six of the former and most of the latter, homosexuality itself [[criminalization of homosexuality|is criminalized]].

There are records of marriage between men dating back to the [[1st century|first century]].<ref name="WilliamsRoman2">Williams, CA., ''Roman Homosexuality: Second Edition'', Oxford University Press, 2009, p. 280, p. 284.</ref> [[Michael McConnell and Jack Baker]]<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|last1=Padnani|first1=Amisha|author1-link=Amy Padnani|last2=Fang|first2=Celina|date=June 26, 2015|title=Same-Sex Marriage: Landmark Decisions and Precedents|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/06/26/us/samesex-marriage-landmarks.html|access-date=|issn=|archive-date=25 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240925153811/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/06/26/us/samesex-marriage-landmarks.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|last=Baume|first=Matt|date=March 1, 2019|title=Meet the Gay Men Whose 1971 Marriage Was Finally Recognized|url=https://www.advocate.com/people/2019/3/01/meet-gay-men-whose-1971-marriage-was-finally-recognized|access-date=|website=The Advocate|language=en}}</ref> are the first same sex couple in modern recorded history<ref name="auto2">[[StoryCorps]] Archive (September 12, 2017). {{Cite web|url=https://archive.storycorps.org/interviews/dda002648/|title=Michael McConnell, Jack Baker, and Lisa Vecoli|access-date=25 September 2024|archive-date=25 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240925153812/https://archive.storycorps.org/interviews/dda002648/|url-status=live}}
* 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|Blue Earth County]], [[Minnesota]], was "declared to be in all respects valid" by Order of Gregory J. Anderson, Judge of District Court.</ref> known to obtain a [[marriage license]],<ref name="National Archives">Newsletter, "Hidden Treasures from the Stacks", ''The National Archives at Kansas City'', p.&nbsp;6 (September&nbsp;2013). 
* [https://www.archives.gov/files/kansas-city/press/newsletter/2013-september.pdf#page=6 Available online.]</ref> have their marriage solemnized, which occurred on September 3, 1971, in [[Minnesota]],<ref name="3Sept1971">Source: Blue Earth County
* Certificate 434960: [https://moms.mn.gov/ Minnesota Official Marriage System] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240925153812/https://moms.mn.gov/ |date=25 September 2024 }}
:* Applicants: James Michael McConnell and Pat Lyn McConnell
:* Date of Marriage: September 3, 1971
* Certified Copy: [https://www.blueearthcountymn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4933/Application-for-Certified-Copy-of-Marriage-Certificate Marriage Certificate]</ref> and have it legally recognized by any form of government.<ref name=ruling>"The September&nbsp;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&nbsp;4); 
* Copy: [https://www.mncourts.gov/Help-Topics/Self-Help-Centers/Self-Help-Centers-Contact.aspx Minnesota Judicial Branch] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240925154007/https://www.mncourts.gov/Help-Topics/Self-Help-Centers/Self-Help-Centers-Contact.aspx |date=25 September 2024 }}, 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);
* [https://www.lib.umn.edu/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/files/2021-09/McConnellvBlueEarthCounty-17-Sept-2018-ConclusionsofLaw_ORDER.pdf#page=4 Available online] from ''U of M Libraries'';
* McConnell Files, "America’s First Gay Marriage" (binder&nbsp;#4), Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies, ''U&nbsp;of&nbsp;M&nbsp;Libraries''.</ref><ref name="epilogue">Michael McConnell, with Jack Baker, as told to Gail Langer Karwoski, "[https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/the-wedding-heard-around-the-world The Wedding Heard Heard 'Round the World: America's First Gay Marriage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826235010/https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/the-wedding-heard-around-the-world |date=August 26, 2015 }}". University of Minnesota Press (2016). Reprint, "With A New Epilogue" (2020).</ref> The first law providing for marriage equality between same-sex and opposite-sex couples was [[Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands|passed in the continental Netherlands]] in 2000 and took effect on 1 April 2001.<ref name="bloomberg-2014-12-04">{{Cite web |last=Winter |first=Caroline |date=December 4, 2014 |title=In 14 years, same-sex marriage has spread round the world |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-12-04/gay-marriage-same-sex-partners-can-wed-in-many-countries |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113164339/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-12-04/gay-marriage-same-sex-partners-can-wed-in-many-countries |archive-date=13 January 2022 |access-date=2022-02-20 |publisher=Bloomberg}}</ref> 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 [[referendum]]s and [[Popular initiative|initiative]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 September 2013 |title=Same-sex Oklahoma couple marries legally under tribal law |url=http://www.koco.com/news/oklahomanews/around-oklahoma/samesex-oklahoma-couple-marries-legally-under-tribal-law/-/12530084/22553184/-/101ihp0z/-/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022022830/http://www.koco.com/news/oklahomanews/around-oklahoma/samesex-oklahoma-couple-marries-legally-under-tribal-law/-/12530084/22553184/-/101ihp0z/-/index.html |archive-date=22 October 2013 |access-date=22 October 2013 |publisher=KOCO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 June 2022 |title=Clela Rorex, former Boulder County Clerk who issued first same-sex marriage license in 1975 dies at 78 |url=https://www.coloradodaily.com/2022/06/19/former-boulder-county-clerk-who-issued-first-same-sex-marriage-license-in-1975-dies-at-78/ |access-date=20 June 2022 |archive-date=20 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620164943/https://www.coloradodaily.com/2022/06/19/former-boulder-county-clerk-who-issued-first-same-sex-marriage-license-in-1975-dies-at-78/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The most prominent supporters of same-sex marriage are the world's major medical and [[Scientific community|scientific communities]],<ref name="science" /><ref name="amici" /><ref name="cpa2006" /> [[human rights]] and [[civil rights]] organizations, and some progressive religious groups,<ref name="bbc" /><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/05/national/05church.html NYTimes.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501014902/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/05/national/05church.html |date=1 May 2011 }} "United Church of Christ Backs Same-Sex Marriage"</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.english.rfi.fr/france/20150517-french-protestant-church-authoriese-gay-marriages|title=French Protestant church authorises gay marriages|date=17 May 2015|access-date=8 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724214210/http://www.english.rfi.fr/france/20150517-french-protestant-church-authoriese-gay-marriages|archive-date=24 July 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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).<ref name=":37">{{Cite web |date=16 September 2021 |title=Same-sex civil unions 'good and helpful to many', says Pope Francis |url=https://www.euronews.com/2021/09/16/same-sex-civil-unions-good-and-helpful-to-many-says-pope-francis |access-date=16 January 2024 |website=[[Euronews]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="religion" /> [[#Public opinion|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.<ref>Molly Ball, 2024 May 13, ''Wall Street Journal'', [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/how-20-years-of-same-sex-marriage-changed-america/ar-BB1mhZ6p How 20 Years of Same-Sex Marriage Changed America]</ref> 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.<ref>Multiple sources:
*{{Cite web |publisher=[[American Psychological Association]] |year=2004 |title=Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Marriage |url=http://www.apa.org/about/governance/council/policy/gay-marriage.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511190536/http://www.apa.org/about/governance/council/policy/gay-marriage.pdf |archive-date=11 May 2011 |access-date=10 November 2010}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/general/2010/10/27/amicus29.pdf|title=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&nbsp;– Appeal from United States District Court for the Northern District of California Civil Case No. 09-CV-2292 VRW (Honorable Vaughn R. Walker)|access-date=5 November 2010|archive-date=13 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413160709/http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/general/2010/10/27/amicus29.pdf|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|title=Marriage of Same-Sex Couples &nbsp;– 2006 Position Statement |url=http://www.cpa.ca/cpasite/userfiles/Documents/Practice_Page/Marriage_SameSex_Couples_PositionStatement.pdf|publisher=[[Canadian Psychological Association]]|access-date=28 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707191052/http://www.cpa.ca/cpasite/userfiles/Documents/Practice_Page/Marriage_SameSex_Couples_PositionStatement.pdf|archive-date=7 July 2012}}
*{{Cite journal|vauthors=Pawelski JG, Perrin EC, Foy JM |display-authors=etal |title=The effects of marriage, civil union, and domestic partnership laws on the health and well-being of children|journal=[[Pediatrics (journal)|Pediatrics]]|volume=118|issue=1|pages=349–64|date=July 2006|pmid=16818585|doi=10.1542/peds.2006-1279|s2cid=219194821 |doi-access= |issn=0031-4005}}
*{{Cite journal |url=http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/1/349 |title=The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-being of Children |journal=Pediatrics |volume=118 |issue=1 |pages=349–364 |access-date=7 July 2017 |doi=10.1542/peds.2006-1279 |pmid=16818585 |year=2006 |last1=Pawelski |first1=J. G. |last2=Perrin |first2=E. C. |last3=Foy |first3=J. M. |last4=Allen |first4=C. E. |last5=Crawford |first5=J. E. |last6=Del Monte |first6=M. |last7=Kaufman |first7=M. |last8=Klein |first8=J. D. |last9=Smith |first9=K. |last10=Springer |first10=S. |last11=Tanner |first11=J. L. |last12=Vickers |first12=D. L. |s2cid=219194821 |doi-access= |archive-date=1 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501125053/http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/1/349 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief of Amici Curiae American Anthropological Association et al., supporting plaintiffs-appellees and urging affirmance&nbsp;– Appeal from United States District Court for the Northern District of California Civil Case No. 09-CV-2292 VRW (Honorable Vaughn R. Walker) |url=http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/general/2010/10/27/amicus39.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226182234/http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/general/2010/10/27/amicus39.pdf |archive-date=26 December 2010 |access-date=5 November 2010}}</ref><ref name="aaa" /> 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.<ref>Handbook of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Administration and Policy&nbsp;— Page 13, Wallace Swan – 2004</ref> 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.<ref name="CCC2357">[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a6.htm#2357 Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2357-9] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209005115/http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a6.htm#2357 |date=9 December 2020 }}; cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2351, 2391, 2396</ref><ref name="religion" /> 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 [[Biology and sexual orientation|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.<ref name="science">Multiple sources:
*{{Cite web |last=Coghlan |first=Andy |date=16 June 2008 |title=Gay brains structured like those of the opposite sex |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14146-gay-brains-structured-like-those-of-the-opposite-sex |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429012045/https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14146-gay-brains-structured-like-those-of-the-opposite-sex/ |archive-date=29 April 2019 |access-date=5 April 2018 |website=[[New Scientist]]}}
*{{cite book|first1=Mary Ann |last1=Lamanna |first2=Agnes |last2=Riedmann |first3=Susan D. |last3=Stewart |title=Marriages, Families, and Relationships: Making Choices in a Diverse Society |publisher=[[Cengage Learning]] |isbn=978-1305176898 |year=2014 |page=82 |access-date=11 February 2016 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fofaAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA82 |quote=[T]he APA says that sexual orientation is not a choice [...]. ([[American Psychological Association]], 2010).|archive-date=30 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130141623/https://books.google.com/books?id=fofaAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA82|url-status=live}}
*{{cite journal |url=http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/118/1/349.full |title=The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-being of Children |journal=[[Pediatrics (journal)|Pediatrics]] |year=2006 |doi=10.1542/peds.2006-1279 |access-date=2 November 2013 |last1=Pawelski |first1=J. G. |last2=Perrin |first2=E. C. |last3=Foy |first3=J. M. |last4=Allen |first4=C. E. |last5=Crawford |first5=J. E. |last6=Del Monte |first6=M. |last7=Kaufman |first7=M. |last8=Klein |first8=J. D. |last9=Smith |first9=K. |last10=Springer |first10=S. |last11=Tanner |first11=J. L. |last12=Vickers |first12=D. L. |volume=118 |issue=1 |pages=349–364 |pmid=16818585 |s2cid=219194821 |doi-access=|archive-date=29 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429011707/https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/118/1/349.full|url-status=live|url-access=subscription }}
*{{cite web|author1=[[American Medical Association]] |author2=[[American Academy of Pediatrics]] |author3=[[American Psychological Association]] |author4=[[American Psychiatric Association]] |author5=[[American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy]] |author6=[[National Association of Social Workers]] |author7=[[American Psychoanalytic Association]] |author8=[[American Academy of Family Physicians]] |display-authors=etal |title=Brief of [medical organizations] as ''Amici Curiae'' in Support of Petitioners |website=[[supremecourt.gov]] |url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/ObergefellHodges/AmicusBriefs/14-556_American_Psychological_Association.pdf |access-date=5 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412074914/https://www.supremecourt.gov/ObergefellHodges/AmicusBriefs/14-556_American_Psychological_Association.pdf|archive-date=12 April 2019|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite news|first=Lindsey|last=Bever|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/07/children-of-same-sex-couples-are-happier-and-healthier-than-peers-research-shows|title=Children of same-sex couples are happier and healthier than peers, research shows|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=7 July 2014|access-date=12 December 2018|archive-date=4 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504054558/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/07/children-of-same-sex-couples-are-happier-and-healthier-than-peers-research-shows/|url-status=live}}
*{{cite journal |url=https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/118/1/349.full |title=The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-being of Children |last1=Pawelski |first1=James G. |last2=Perrin |first2=Ellen C. |last3=Foy |first3=Jane M. |last4=Allen |first4=Carole E. |last5=Crawford |first5=James E. |last6=Del Monte |first6=Mark |last7=Kaufman |first7=Miriam |last8=Klein |first8=Jonathan D. |last9=Smith |first9=Karen |last10=Springer |first10=Sarah |last11=Tanner |first11=J. Lane |last12=Vickers |first12=Dennis L. |quote=In fact, growing up with parents who are lesbian or gay may confer some advantages to children. |date=July 2006 |access-date=16 June 2019 |journal=[[Pediatrics (journal)|Pediatrics]] |publisher=[[American Academy of Pediatrics]] |volume=118 |issue=1 |pages=349–64 |pmid=16818585 |doi=10.1542/peds.2006-1279 |s2cid=219194821 |doi-access= |archive-date=1 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501125053/http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/1/349 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
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==Terminology==
===Alternative terms===
[[File:Wedding in New Orleans, November 11, 2017.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|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 [[List of LGBT-related organizations and conferences#Japan|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Marriage Equality |url=http://www.gardenstateequality.org/issues/marriageequality/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018065055/http://www.gardenstateequality.org/issues/marriageequality/ |archive-date=18 October 2014 |access-date=24 July 2012 |publisher=Garden State Equality}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Marriage 101 |url=http://www.freedomtomarry.org/pages/marriage-101#faq3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216021129/http://www.freedomtomarry.org/pages/marriage-101#faq3 |archive-date=16 February 2010 |access-date=28 September 2012 |publisher=[[Freedom to Marry]]}}</ref><ref name="Pratt">{{Cite news |last=Pratt, Patricia |date=29 May 2012 |title=Albany area real estate and the Marriage Equality Act |work=Albany Examiner |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:AENN&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=13F21B414EDA8168&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0FB3382EE6AD1E46 |access-date=25 December 2012 |quote=On July 24, 2011 the Marriage Equality Act became a law in New York State forever changing the state's legal view of what a married couple is. |archive-date=10 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710064625/https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/13F21B414EDA8168&f=basic |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=13 December 2012 |title=Vote on Illinois marriage equality bill coming in January: sponsors |work=Chicago Phoenix |url=http://chicagophoenix.com/2012/12/13/illinois-marriage-equality-vote-january |url-status=live |access-date=23 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121226111510/http://chicagophoenix.com/2012/12/13/illinois-marriage-equality-vote-january/ |archive-date=26 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mulholland |first=Helene |date=27 September 2012 |title=Ed Miliband calls for gay marriage equality |work=The Guardian |location=London, UK |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/sep/27/ed-miliband-gay-wedding-equality |url-status=live |access-date=23 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928234116/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/sep/27/ed-miliband-gay-wedding-equality |archive-date=28 September 2013}}</ref><ref name="Ring">{{Cite news |last=Ring, Trudy |date=20 December 2012 |title=Newt Gingrich: Marriage Equality Inevitable, OK |work=The Advocate |location=Los Angeles |url=http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2012/12/20/newt-gingrich-accepts-marriage-equality-inevitable |url-status=live |access-date=25 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121223062417/http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2012/12/20/newt-gingrich-accepts-marriage-equality-inevitable |archive-date=23 December 2012 |quote=He [Newt Gingrich] noted to HuffPo that he not only has a lesbian half-sister, LGBT rights activist [[Candace Gingrich]], but has gay friends who've gotten married in Iowa, where their unions are legal. Public opinion has shifted in favor of marriage equality, he said, and the Republican Party could end up on the wrong side of history if it continues to go against the tide.}}</ref> The [[Associated Press]] recommends the use of ''same-sex marriage'' over ''gay marriage''.<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1095408455479902211 |user=APStylebook |title=The term same-sex marriage is preferred over gay marriage. In places where it's legal, same-sex marriage is no different from other marriages, so the term should be used only when germane and needed to distinguish from marriages between heterosexual couples. #APStyleChat |author=APStylebook |date=12 February 2019 |access-date=13 December 2022 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019190133/https://twitter.com/apstylebook/status/1095408455479902211 |archive-date=19 October 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/329975/one-lgbt-americans-married-sex-spouse.aspx|title=One in 10 LGBT Americans Married to Same-Sex Spouse|date=24 February 2021|website=Gallup }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://consciousstyleguide.com/when-bisexual-people-marry/|title=When Bisexual People Marry|first=Karen|last=Yin|date=8 March 2016|website=Conscious Style Guide|access-date=6 February 2023|archive-date=6 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206074539/https://consciousstyleguide.com/when-bisexual-people-marry/|url-status=live}}</ref>
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 erasure|bisexual]] or [[transgender erasure]].<ref name="SageEncyclopedia">{{cite journal |last1=Jett |first1=Eric D. |editor1-last=Dermer |editor1-first=Shannon |editor2-last=Abdullah |editor2-first=Jahaan |title=Same-Gender Couples, Counseling of |journal=The Sage Encyclopedia of Multicultural Counseling, Social Justice, and Advocacy |url=https://sk.sagepub.com/ency/edvol/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-multicultural-counseling/chpt/samegender-couples-counseling |date=2024 |doi=10.4135/9781071808023.n457 |access-date=18 Aug 2025 |publisher=[[Sage Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-0718-0803-0 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Dupuis |first1=Martin |last2=Thompson |first2=William A. |last3=West |first3=Traci C. |title=Defending same-sex marriage |date=2006 |publisher=[[Praeger Publishers]] |location=Westport, Conn |isbn=9780313054211}}</ref>

===Use of the term ''marriage''===
Anthropologists have struggled to determine a definition of [[marriage]] that absorbs commonalities of the [[Social constructionism|social construct]] across cultures around the world.<ref name="Fedorak">{{Cite book |last=Fedorak |first=Shirley A. |title=Anthropology matters! |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-1442601086 |location=[Toronto], Ont. |pages=Ch. 11; p. 174}}</ref><ref name="Gough">{{Cite journal |last=Gough |first=Kathleen E. |date=Jan–Jun 1959 |title=The Nayars and the Definition of Marriage |journal=The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland |volume=89 |issue=1 |pages=23–34 |doi=10.2307/2844434 |jstor=2844434}}</ref> 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 [[Ethnic groups in Africa|African peoples]], such as the [[Kikuyu people|Kikuyu]] and [[Nuer people|Nuer]].<ref name=Gough/><ref name="Africa">{{Cite book |last1=Murray |first1=Stephen O. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZjbESL6YWU0C&q=%22Woman-woman+marriage+in+Africa%22&pg=PA255 |title=Boy-wives and female husbands : studies of African homosexualities |last2=Roscoe, Will |publisher=St. Martin's |year=2001 |isbn=978-0312238292 |edition=1st pbk. |location=New York |access-date=28 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204174244/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZjbESL6YWU0C&q=%22Woman-woman+marriage+in+Africa%22&pg=PA255 |archive-date=4 February 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Kikuyu">{{Cite journal |last1=Njambi |first1=Wairimu |last2=O'Brien, William |date=Spring 2001 |title=Revisiting "Woman-Woman Marriage": Notes on Gikuyu Women |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/nwsa_journal/v012/12.1njambi.html |url-status=live |journal=[[NWSA Journal]] |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=1–23 |doi=10.1353/nwsa.2000.0015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113015023/http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=%2Fjournals%2Fnwsa_journal%2Fv012%2F12.1njambi.html |archive-date=13 January 2012 |access-date=28 September 2012 |s2cid=144520611|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 May 2004 |title=Dictionaries take lead in redefining modern marriage |work=[[The Washington Times]] |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/may/24/20040524-103201-1169r |url-status=live |access-date=25 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918034452/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/may/24/20040524-103201-1169r/ |archive-date=18 September 2012}}</ref><ref name="ABA">{{Cite web |title=Webster Makes It Official: Definition of Marriage Has Changed |url=http://www.abajournal.com/news/webster_makes_it_official_definition_of_marriage_has_changed |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427004101/http://www.abajournal.com/news/webster_makes_it_official_definition_of_marriage_has_changed |archive-date=27 April 2015 |access-date=28 September 2012 |publisher=[[American Bar Association]]}}</ref> The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' has recognized same-sex marriage since 2000.<ref name="slate">{{Cite news |last=Redman |first=Daniel |date=7 April 2009 |title=Noah Webster Gives His Blessing: Dictionaries recognize same-sex marriage—who knew? |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2215628 |url-status=live |access-date=28 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917032021/http://www.slate.com/id/2215628/ |archive-date=17 September 2011}}</ref>

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.<ref name="religion">{{Cite web |date=13 August 2008 |title=The Divine Institution of Marriage |url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/the-divine-institution-of-marriage |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611071837/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/the-divine-institution-of-marriage |archive-date=11 June 2019 |access-date=28 September 2012 |publisher=[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of same-sex unions}}
{{For timeline}}
{{Broader|History of homosexuality}}

===Ancient===
{{further|Homosexuality in ancient Rome}}
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."<ref>Rabbi Joel Roth. [https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/assets/public/halakhah/teshuvot/19912000/roth_homosexual.pdf Homosexuality] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824192248/https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/assets/public/halakhah/teshuvot/19912000/roth_homosexual.pdf |date=24 August 2017 }} ''rabbinicalassembly.org'' 1992.</ref>

A few scholars believe that in the early [[Roman Empire]] some male couples were celebrating [[Marriage in ancient Rome|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.<ref>Martial 1.24 and 12.42; Juvenal 2.117–42. Williams, ''Roman Homosexuality'', pp. 28, 280; Karen K. Hersh, ''The Roman Wedding: Ritual and Meaning in Antiquity'' (Cambridge University Press, 2010), p. 36; [[Caroline Vout]], ''Power and Eroticism in Imperial Rome'' (Cambridge University Press, 2007), pp. 151ff.</ref> 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 (freedman)|Pythagoras]]), and once the groom (with [[Sporus]]); there may have been a third in which he was the bride.<ref>[[Suetonius]], [[Tacitus]], [[Dio Cassius]], and [[Aurelius Victor]] are the sources cited by Williams, ''Roman Homosexuality'', p. 279.</ref> 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.<ref>Williams, ''Roman Homosexuality'', pp. 278–279, citing Dio Cassius and [[Aelius Lampridius]].</ref> [[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.<ref name="auto4">Williams, ''Roman Homosexuality'', p. 280.</ref> As the empire was becoming Christianized in the 4th century, legal prohibitions against marriage between males began to appear.<ref name="auto4"/>

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."<ref>{{cite book |last=Hinsch |first=Bret |year=1990 |title=Passions of the cut sleeve: the male homosexual tradition in China |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520078697}}</ref>

===Contemporary===
[[File:NewlyMarriedCoupleAtCourthouse.jpg|thumb|Newly married couple in [[Minnesota]] shortly after the federal legalization of [[same-sex marriage in the United States]], 2015]]
[[Michael McConnell and Jack Baker]]<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/> are the first same sex couple in modern recorded history<ref name="auto2"/> known to obtain a [[marriage license]],<ref name="National Archives"/> have their marriage solemnized, which occurred on September 3, 1971, in [[Minnesota]],<ref name="3Sept1971"/> and have it legally recognized by any form of government.<ref name="ruling" /><ref name="epilogue"/> 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 of America|United States]], the [[HIV/AIDS in the United States|AIDS epidemic]] led to increased attention on the legal aspects of same-sex relationships.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March–April 2013 |title=How Same-Sex Marriage Came to Be |url=http://harvardmagazine.com/2013/03/how-same-sex-marriage-came-to-be |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502173822/https://harvardmagazine.com/2013/03/how-same-sex-marriage-came-to-be |archive-date=2 May 2019 |access-date=28 March 2015 |website=[[Harvard Magazine]]}}</ref> [[Andrew Sullivan]] made the first case for same sex marriage in a major American journal in 1989,<ref name=intelligent>{{cite web|url=http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/andrew-sullivan-thinking-out-loud|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425202254/http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/andrew-sullivan-thinking-out-loud|archive-date=25 April 2009 |title=Andrew Sullivan: Thinking. Out. Loud. |newspaper=Intelligent Life |date=Spring 2009 |access-date=24 October 2013|first=Johann |last=Hari}}</ref> published in ''The New Republic''.<ref name="groom">{{cite news|last=Sullivan|first=Andrew|title=Here Comes the Groom|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/11/gay_marriage_votes_and_andrew_sullivan_his_landmark_1989_essay_making_a.html|access-date=24 October 2013|newspaper=Slate|date=9 November 2012|archive-date=25 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925191240/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/11/gay_marriage_votes_and_andrew_sullivan_his_landmark_1989_essay_making_a.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1989, Denmark became the first country to legally recognize a relationship for same-sex couples, establishing [[registered partnership]]s, 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".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rule |first=Sheila |date=2 October 1989 |title=Rights for Gay Couples in Denmark |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/02/world/rights-for-gay-couples-in-denmark.html |url-status=live |access-date=19 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304080523/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/02/world/rights-for-gay-couples-in-denmark.html |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> In 2001, the [[Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands|continental Netherlands]] became the first country to broaden marriage laws to include same-sex couples.<ref name="bloomberg-2014-12-04" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 May 2009 |title=Same-sex marriage around the world |work=CBC News |location=Toronto |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/same-sex-marriage-around-the-world-1.799137 |url-status=live |access-date=6 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125125134/http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/05/26/f-same-sex-timeline.html |archive-date=25 November 2010}}</ref> 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 — [[Same-sex marriage in South Africa|South Africa]] is the only country in [[LGBT rights in Africa|Africa]] to take the step; [[Same-sex marriage in Taiwan|Taiwan]] and [[Same-sex marriage in Thailand|Thailand]] are the only ones in [[LGBT rights in Asia|Asia]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 April 2021 |title=The Dutch went first in 2001; who has same-sex marriage now? |url=https://apnews.com/article/europe-africa-netherlands-job-cohen-western-europe-e08b053af367028737c9c41c492cc568 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101311/https://apnews.com/article/europe-africa-netherlands-job-cohen-western-europe-e08b053af367028737c9c41c492cc568 |archive-date=21 August 2021 |access-date=21 August 2021 |website=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/climate-and-people/same-sex-marriage-thailand-mass-wedding-lgbtq/|title='I'm proud of Thailand': Couples to tie the knot in mass weddings as same-sex marriage become legal|website=telegraph.co.uk|access-date=2024-01-22}}</ref>
<!---Please add references in the main article before or after adding information to this table--->

==Timeline==
{{main|Timeline of same-sex marriage}}
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.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Theil |first1=Michele |title=This map shows you where same-sex marriage is legal around the world – and there's a long way to go |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/02/16/this-map-shows-you-where-same-sex-marriage-is-legal-around-the-world-and-theres-a-long-way-to-go/ |website=PinkNews |date=16 February 2024 |access-date=16 February 2024}}</ref>

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.

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

==Same-sex marriage around the world==
{{Main|Legal status of same-sex marriage|Same-sex union legislation|Recognition of same-sex unions by country }}

Same-sex marriage is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries: [[Same-sex marriage in Andorra|Andorra]], [[Same-sex marriage in Argentina|Argentina]], [[Same-sex marriage in Australia|Australia]],{{efn|name=australia|text=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.}} [[Same-sex marriage in Austria|Austria]], [[Same-sex marriage in Belgium|Belgium]], [[Same-sex marriage in Brazil|Brazil]], [[Same-sex marriage in Canada|Canada]], [[Same-sex marriage in Chile|Chile]], [[Same-sex marriage in Colombia|Colombia]], [[Same-sex marriage in Costa Rica|Costa Rica]], [[Same-sex marriage in Cuba|Cuba]], [[Same-sex marriage in Denmark|Denmark]],{{efn|name=denmark|text=Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized by law in continental Denmark, the [[Same-sex marriage in the Faroe Islands|Faroe Islands]] and [[Same-sex marriage in Greenland|Greenland]], which together make up the [[Realm of Denmark]].}} [[Same-sex marriage in Ecuador|Ecuador]],{{efn|name=ecuador|text=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.}} [[Same-sex marriage in Estonia|Estonia]], [[Same-sex marriage in Finland|Finland]], [[Same-sex marriage in France|France]],{{efn|name=france|text=Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized by law in metropolitan France and in all [[Overseas France|French overseas regions and possessions]], which follow a single legal code.}} [[Same-sex marriage in Germany|Germany]], [[Same-sex marriage in Greece|Greece]], [[Same-sex marriage in Iceland|Iceland]], [[Same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Same-sex marriage in Liechtenstein|Liechtenstein]], [[Same-sex marriage in Luxembourg|Luxembourg]], [[Same-sex marriage in Malta|Malta]], [[Same-sex marriage in Mexico|Mexico]],{{efn|name=mexico|text=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.}} the [[Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands|Netherlands]],{{efn|name=netherlands|text=Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized by law in [[Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands|the continental Netherlands]], the Caribbean municipalities of [[Same-sex marriage in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba|Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba]], and the constituent countries of [[Same-sex marriage in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten|Aruba and Curaçao]], but not&nbsp;yet in Sint Maarten.}} [[Same-sex marriage in New Zealand|New Zealand]],{{efn|name=nz|text=Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized by law in [[New Zealand|New Zealand proper]], but not in its possession of [[LGBT rights in Tokelau|Tokelau]], nor in the [[LGBT rights in the Cook Islands|Cook Islands]] and [[LGBT rights in Niue|Niue]], which make up the [[Realm of New Zealand]].}} [[Same-sex marriage in Norway|Norway]], [[Same-sex marriage in Portugal|Portugal]], [[Same-sex marriage in Slovenia|Slovenia]], [[Same-sex marriage in South Africa|South Africa]], [[Same-sex marriage in Spain|Spain]], [[Same-sex marriage in Sweden|Sweden]], [[Same-sex marriage in Switzerland|Switzerland]], [[Same-sex marriage in Taiwan|Taiwan]], [[Same-sex marriage in Thailand|Thailand]], the [[Same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]],{{efn|name=uk|text= Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized by law in all parts of the United Kingdom and in [[Recognition of same-sex unions in the British Overseas Territories|its non-American possessions]], but not in its American possessions, namely [[LGBT rights in Anguilla|Anguilla]], [[LGBT rights in Bermuda|Bermuda]], the [[LGBT rights in the British Virgin Islands|British Virgin Islands]], the [[LGBT rights in the Cayman Islands|Cayman Islands]], [[LGBT rights in Montserrat|Montserrat]] and the [[LGBT rights in the Turks and Caicos Islands|Turks and Caicos Islands]].}}  the [[Same-sex marriage in the United States|United States]],{{efn|name=usa|text=Same-sex marriage is performed and recognized by law in all [[Same-sex marriage law in the United States by state|fifty states]] of the US and in the [[Same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia|District of Columbia]], in all overseas territories except [[Same-sex marriage in American Samoa|American Samoa]] (recognition only), and in all [[Same-sex marriage in tribal nations in the United States|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 [[LGBT rights in the Navajo Nation|Navajo]], [[Gila River Indian Community|Gila River]] and perhaps [[Yakama Indian Reservation|Yakama]], and the largest (or perhaps only) among the shared-sovereignty Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Areas are the [[Creek Nation|Creek]], [[Citizen Potawatomi]] and [[Seminole Nation of Oklahoma|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.}} and [[Same-sex marriage in Uruguay|Uruguay]].<ref name="HRC">{{cite web |title=Marriage Equality Around the World |url=https://www.hrc.org/resources/marriage-equality-around-the-world |website=[[Human Rights Campaign]] |access-date=3 February 2024 |archive-date=5 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205222310/https://www.hrc.org/resources/marriage-equality-around-the-world |url-status=live }}</ref> Same-sex marriage performed remotely or abroad is recognized with full marital rights by [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Israel|Israel]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018 |title=Information for couples marrying outside the Rabbinate |url=http://rackmancenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Marriage-Outside-the-Rabbinate-Halperin-Kaddari-et-al-Rackman-Study-2018.pdf |access-date=November 10, 2023 |website=Rackman Center}}</ref>

[[File:World marriage-equality laws.svg|thumb|center|upright=3|
{{legend|#025|Marriage open to same-sex couples}}
{{legend|#90C|Same-sex marriage recognized with full rights when performed remotely or abroad}}
<!-- {{legend|#71C837|Legislation or binding domestic court ruling establishing same-sex marriage, but marriage is not yet provided for}}
 -->{{legend|#06F|Civil unions or domestic partnerships}}
{{legend|#9CF|Unregistered cohabitation or legal guardianship}}
{{legend striped|#9CF|#EEE|Nonbinding certification|up=yes}}
{{legend|#CAF|Limited recognition of marriage performed in certain other jurisdictions (residency rights for spouses)}}
{{legend|#EEE|No legal recognition of same-sex unions}}
]]

Same-sex marriage is under [[Same-sex union legislation|consideration by the legislature]] or the courts in [[Recognition of same-sex unions in El Salvador|El Salvador]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/sala-de-lo-constitucional-resolveria-demanda-sobre-matrimonio-igualitario-en-los-primeros-tres-meses-de-2020/674550/2020/|title=Sala de lo Constitucional resolvería demanda sobre matrimonio igualitario en los primeros tres messes de 2020|work=elsalvador.com|date=6 January 2020|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://observador.cr/bukele-busca-que-se-apruebe-el-aborto-terapeutico-y-la-union-homosexual/|title=Bukele busca que se apruebe el aborto terapéutico y la unión homosexual|work=El Observador|date=18 August 2021|language=es|access-date=27 August 2024|archive-date=29 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829110806/https://observador.cr/bukele-busca-que-se-apruebe-el-aborto-terapeutico-y-la-union-homosexual/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Italy|Italy]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tg.la7.it/politica/diritti-matrimonio-egualitario-opinioni-a-confronto-scalfarotto-vs-bonaldi-vs-centinaio-09-03-2023-180977|title=Diritti: matrimonio "egualitario". Opinioni a confronto: Scalfarotto vs Bonaldi vs Centinaio|date=9 March 2023|access-date=10 March 2023|archive-date=10 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310113805/https://tg.la7.it/politica/diritti-matrimonio-egualitario-opinioni-a-confronto-scalfarotto-vs-bonaldi-vs-centinaio-09-03-2023-180977|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.corriere.it/politica/23_marzo_10/da-zaia-centinaio-cosi-lega-cambia-diritti-lgbt-perche-pesa-l-effetto-francesca-a2e451f8-bf1b-11ed-a204-070182f2d425.shtml|title=Da Zaia a Centinaio: la Lega ora cambia sui diritti lgbt (e c'entra "l'effetto Francesca")|date=10 March 2023|access-date=10 March 2023|archive-date=10 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310104916/https://www.corriere.it/politica/23_marzo_10/da-zaia-centinaio-cosi-lega-cambia-diritti-lgbt-perche-pesa-l-effetto-francesca-a2e451f8-bf1b-11ed-a204-070182f2d425.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Japan|Japan]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Japan opposition party submits bill for same-sex marriage|url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/03/61f05630333c-japan-opposition-party-submits-bill-for-same-sex-marriage.html|publisher=[[Kyodo News]]|date=6 March 2023|accessdate=31 May 2023|archive-date=6 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306055755/https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/03/61f05630333c-japan-opposition-party-submits-bill-for-same-sex-marriage.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Same-sex marriage in Nepal|Nepal]],{{efn|name=nepal|text=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&nbsp;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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theannapurnaexpress.com/story/51719/|title=Why are district courts not registering same-sex marriage?|website=The Annapurna Express|access-date=23 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/nepal-same-sex-couples-face-hurdles-on-road-to-recognition/a-69620274|title=Nepal: Same-sex couples face hurdles on road to recognition|work=DW|date=2024-07-10|first=Swechhya|last=Raut}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/valley/2025/02/27/nepal-hosts-international-meet-on-lgbtiq-rights|title=Nepal hosts international meet on LGBTIQ+ rights|website=kathmandupost.com|access-date=2025-02-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2023/12/03/how-court-laid-the-ground-for-same-sex-marriage-in-nepal|title=How court laid the ground for same-sex marriage in Nepal|first=Binod|last=Ghimire|date=2023-12-03|work=The Kathmandu Post|access-date=30 June 2024|archive-date=7 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240107152434/https://kathmandupost.com/national/2023/12/03/how-court-laid-the-ground-for-same-sex-marriage-in-nepal|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.apcom.org/long-road-lasting-marriage-equality-nepal/|title=The Long Road to Lasting Marriage Equality in Nepal|work=APCOM|first=Manisha|last=Dhakal|date=20 June 2024 }}</ref>}} and [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Venezuela|Venezuela]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 February 2022 |title=Diputada plantea iniciativa para el matrimonio civil igualitario en la Asamblea Nacional |url=https://elacarigueno.com/ini/diputada-plantea-iniciativa-para-el-matrimonio-civil-igualitario-en-la-asamblea-nacional/ |website=El Acarigueño |language=es |access-date=17 April 2022 |archive-date=20 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520104213/https://elacarigueno.com/ini/diputada-plantea-iniciativa-para-el-matrimonio-civil-igualitario-en-la-asamblea-nacional/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Civil union]]s are being considered in a number of countries, including [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Kosovo|Kosovo]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/kosovo-promises-to-introduce-same-sex-unions-in-may/|title=Kosovo promises to introduce same-sex unions in May|first1=Alice|last1=Taylor|first2=Nick|last2=Alipour|date=26 April 2024|website=www.euractiv.com|access-date=30 April 2024|archive-date=26 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426055157/https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/kosovo-promises-to-introduce-same-sex-unions-in-may/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Peru|Peru]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 October 2021 |title=Presentan proyecto de ley sobre el matrimonio igualitario entre personas del mismo sexo |newspaper=El Comercio |url=https://elcomercio.pe/politica/congreso/congreso-de-la-republica-presentan-proyecto-de-ley-sobre-el-matrimonio-igualitario-entre-personas-del-mismo-sexo-juntos-por-el-peru-somos-peru-partido-morado-nndc-noticia/?ref=ecr |access-date=2022-06-28 |publisher=elcomercio.pe}}</ref> the [[Recognition of same-sex unions in the Philippines|Philippines]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chr.gov.ph/chr-issues-position-paper-on-civil-partnership-bills-advocating-for-equal-rights-and-protections-for-couples/|title=CHR issues position paper on civil partnership bills, advocating for equal rights and protections for couples|website=chr.gov.ph|access-date=2025-04-15}}</ref> and [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Poland|Poland]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/world/poland-introduces-bill-to-legalise-same-sex-civil-unions-13826932.html|title=Poland introduces bill to legalise same-sex civil unions|date=18 October 2024|website=Firstpost}}</ref> 

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".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Duffy |first=Nick |date=13 March 2015 |title=UKIP and Tories abstain on EU motion to recognise same-sex marriage |url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/03/13/ukip-and-tories-abstain-on-eu-motion-to-recognise-same-sex-marriage/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150809064225/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/03/13/ukip-and-tories-abstain-on-eu-motion-to-recognise-same-sex-marriage/ |archive-date=9 August 2015 |access-date=26 July 2015 |website=PinkNews}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Texts adopted – Thursday, 12 March 2015 – Annual report on human rights and democracy in the world 2013 and the EU policy on the matter |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P8-TA-2015-0076+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807122729/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2F%2FEP%2F%2FTEXT+TA+P8-TA-2015-0076+0+DOC+XML+V0%2F%2FEN&language=EN |archive-date=7 August 2015 |access-date=26 July 2015 |publisher=European Parliament}}</ref>

In response to the international spread of same-sex marriage, a number of countries have enacted preventative [[Same-sex union legislation#Bans|constitutional bans]], with the most recent being [[LGBTQ rights in Mali|Mali]] in 2023, and [[2024 Gabonese constitutional referendum|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.

[[File:Constitutional bans on same-sex unions by country.svg|thumb|center|upright=3|
{{legend|#D40000|Same-sex marriage [[Same-sex union legislation#Bans|banned]] by secular constitution}}
{{legend|#800000|Same-sex marriage banned by constitutionally mandated religious law}}
{{legend|#CCCCCC|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.<ref name="CASE OF SCHALK AND KOPF v. AUSTRIA">{{Cite web |title=HUDOC – European Court of Human Rights |url=http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/sites/eng/pages/search.aspx?i=001-99605 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911221342/http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/sites/eng/pages/search.aspx?i=001-99605 |archive-date=11 September 2015 |access-date=26 July 2015}}</ref> The court found, by a vote of 4 to 3, that their human rights had not been violated.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Buyse |first=Antoine |date=24 June 2010 |title=Strasbourg court rules that states are not obliged to allow gay marriage |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/law/2010/jun/24/european-court-of-human-rights-civil-partnerships |url-status=live |access-date=8 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213205714/http://www.theguardian.com/law/2010/jun/24/european-court-of-human-rights-civil-partnerships |archive-date=13 December 2013}}</ref> 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").<ref>{{Cite book |last=Avram |first=Marieta |title=Drept civil Familia |date=2016 |publisher=Editura Hamangiu |isbn=978-606-27-0609-8 |location=Bucharest |language=Romanian |trans-title=Civil law Family}}</ref>

[[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",<ref>{{Cite web |title=European Convention on Human Rights |url=http://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Convention_ENG.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703060501/http://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Convention_ENG.pdf |archive-date=3 July 2014 |access-date=25 July 2015 |website=ECHR.coe.int |publisher=European Court of Human Rights}}</ref> 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".<ref name="CASE OF SCHALK AND KOPF v. AUSTRIA" /> Nevertheless, the court accepted and is considering cases concerning same-sex marriage recognition, e.g. ''Andersen v Poland''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-218104 |website=ECHR |access-date=21 July 2022 |language=English |title=HUDOC - European Court of Human Rights |archive-date=21 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621103846/https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-218104 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Palazzo |first1=Nausica |title=Fedotova and Others v. Russia : Dawn of a new era for European LGBTQ families? |journal=Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law |date=April 2023 |volume=30 |issue=2 |pages=216–228 |doi=10.1177/1023263X231195455|s2cid=261655476 |hdl=10362/183222 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

==== European Union ====
{{further|Coman and Others v General Inspectorate for Immigration and Ministry of the Interior}}
On 5 June 2018, the [[European Court of Justice]] ruled, in a case from [[Same-sex marriage in Romania|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=EU court backs residency rights for gay couple in Romania |url=https://apnews.com/561b1bb4ecff48b598eb1c2c20db2735 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142617/https://apnews.com/561b1bb4ecff48b598eb1c2c20db2735 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |access-date=6 June 2018 |website=[[Associated Press]]|date=5 June 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=5 June 2018 |title=Same-sex spouses have EU residence rights, top court rules – BBC |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44366898 |url-status=live |access-date=6 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508223531/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44366898 |archive-date=8 May 2019}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Texts adopted – LGBTIQ rights in the EU – Tuesday, 14 September 2021 |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2021-0366_EN.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916211040/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2021-0366_EN.html |archive-date=16 September 2021 |access-date=16 September 2021 |website=European Parliament |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=14 September 2021 |title=MEPs condemn failure to respect rights of same-sex partners in EU |language=en |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/14/meps-condemn-failure-respect-rights-same-sex-partners-eu |url-status=live |access-date=16 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914132153/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/14/meps-condemn-failure-respect-rights-same-sex-partners-eu |archive-date=14 September 2021}}</ref>

==== Inter-American Court of Human Rights ====
[[File:María Alexandra Chávez y Michelle Pamela Avilés - Primer matrimonio entre dos mujeres en Ecuador.jpg|thumb|right|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 union]]s) instead of same-sex marriage.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 January 2018 |title=Major Advance for Marriage Equality and Gender Identity Rights in Latin America |work=San Francisco Bay Times |url=http://sfbaytimes.com/major-advance-marriage-equality-gender-identity-rights-latin-america/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129141726/http://sfbaytimes.com/major-advance-marriage-equality-gender-identity-rights-latin-america/ |archive-date=29 January 2018 |access-date=13 April 2018 |publisher=Sfbaytimes.com}}</ref>

==Other arrangements==
===Civil unions===
{{Main|Civil union}}
[[File:New York City Proposition 8 Protest outside LDS temple 20.jpg|thumb|upright|Many advocates, such as this November 2008 protester at a demonstration in [[New York City]] against [[California Proposition 8 (2008)|California Proposition 8]], reject the notion of [[civil unions]], describing them as inferior to the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.<ref name="Towleroad">{{Cite web |last=Towle |first=Andy |date=13 November 2008 |title=NYC Protest and Civil Rights March Opposing Proposition 8 |url=http://www.towleroad.com/2008/11/we-did-it.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213224331/http://www.towleroad.com/2008/11/we-did-it.html |archive-date=13 February 2009 |access-date=28 September 2012 |publisher=[[Towleroad]]}}</ref>]]

Civil union, [[civil partnership]], [[domestic partnership]], [[registered partnership]], unregistered partnership, and unregistered cohabitation statuses offer varying legal benefits of marriage. As of {{date}}, countries that have an alternative form of legal recognition other than marriage on a national level are: [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Bolivia|Bolivia]], [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Croatia|Croatia]], [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Cyprus|Cyprus]], the [[Recognition of same-sex unions in the Czech Republic|Czech Republic]], [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Hungary|Hungary]], [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Italy|Italy]], [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Latvia|Latvia]], [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Lithuania|Lithuania]], [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Monaco|Monaco]], [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Montenegro|Montenegro]] and [[LGBT rights in San Marino|San Marino]].<ref name="countries and states legal">{{Cite web |last=Pearson |first=Mary |title=Where is Gay Marriage Legal? |url=http://christiangays.com/marriage/legal.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301004148/http://christiangays.com/marriage/legal.shtml |archive-date=1 March 2012 |access-date=20 February 2012 |publisher=christiangays.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Steve |title=Which Countries Have Legalized Gay Marriage? |url=http://www.care2.com/causes/which-countries-have-legalized-gay-marriage.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429011118/https://www.care2.com/causes/which-countries-have-legalized-gay-marriage.html |archive-date=29 April 2019 |access-date=20 February 2012 |publisher=Care2.com (news.bbc.co.uk as source)}}</ref> Same-sex marriage performed remotely or abroad is recognized with full marital rights by [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Israel|Israel]]. [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Poland|Poland]] offers more limited rights. Additionally, various cities and counties in [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Cambodia|Cambodia]] and [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Japan|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: [[Same-sex marriage in Argentina|Argentina]], [[Same-sex marriage in Australia|Australia]], [[Same-sex marriage in Austria|Austria]], [[Same-sex marriage in Belgium|Belgium]], [[Same-sex marriage in Brazil|Brazil]], [[Same-sex marriage in Chile|Chile]], [[Same-sex marriage in Colombia|Colombia]], [[Same-sex marriage in Ecuador|Ecuador]], [[Same-sex marriage in France|France]], [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Greece|Greece]], [[Same-sex marriage in Luxembourg|Luxembourg]], [[Same-sex marriage in Malta|Malta]], the [[Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands|Netherlands]], [[Same-sex marriage in Portugal|Portugal]], [[Same-sex marriage in South Africa|South Africa]], [[Same-sex marriage in Spain|Spain]], the [[Same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]] and [[Same-sex marriage in Uruguay|Uruguay]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Loi du 9 juillet 2004 relative aux effets légaux de certains partenariats. – Legilux |url=http://eli.legilux.public.lu/eli/etat/leg/loi/2004/07/09/n3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911061405/http://eli.legilux.public.lu/eli/etat/leg/loi/2004/07/09/n3 |archive-date=11 September 2016 |access-date=7 July 2017 |website=Eli.legilux.public.lu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=12 March 2007 |title=Loi n° 99-944 du 15 novembre 1999 relative au pacte civil de solidarité |url=http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=0F15B99854A4FE47659F950BE42DF000.tpdjo05v_3?cidTexte=LEGITEXT000005628705&dateTexte=vig |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816215959/https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=0F15B99854A4FE47659F950BE42DF000.tpdjo05v_3?cidTexte=LEGITEXT000005628705&dateTexte=vig |archive-date=16 August 2019 |access-date=7 July 2017 |website=Legifrance.gouv.fr |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=WETTEN, DECRETEN, ORDONNANTIES EN VERORDENINGEN LOIS, DECRETS, ORDONNANCES ET REGLEMENTS |url=http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/mopdf/2000/03/02_1.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429011144/http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/mopdf/2000/03/02_1.pdf |archive-date=29 April 2019 |access-date=7 July 2017 |website=Ejustice.jkust.fgov.be}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil Partnership Act 2004 |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/33/contents |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429011336/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/33/contents |archive-date=29 April 2019 |access-date=5 July 2017 |website=Legislation.gov.uk}}</ref>

They are also available in parts of the United States ([[Arizona]],{{efn|Legally available in the Arizona municipalities of Bisbee, Clarkdale, Cottonwood, Jerome, Sedona and Tucson.}} [[Same-sex marriage in California|California]], [[Same-sex marriage in Colorado|Colorado]], [[Same-sex marriage in Hawaii|Hawaii]], [[Same-sex marriage in Illinois|Illinois]], [[Same-sex marriage in New Jersey|New Jersey]], [[Same-sex marriage in Nevada|Nevada]] and [[Same-sex marriage in Oregon|Oregon]]) and Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships |url=http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/human-services/same-sex-marriage-overview.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610003023/http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/human-services/same-sex-marriage-overview.aspx |archive-date=10 June 2013 |access-date=20 February 2012 |publisher=National Conference of State Legislatures}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ramstack, Tom |date=11 January 2010 |title=Congress Considers Outcome of D.C. Gay Marriage Legislation |work=AHN |url=http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7017501996?Congress%20Considers%20Outcome%20of%20D.C.%20Gay%20Marriage%20Legislation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620042439/http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7017501996?Congress%20Considers%20Outcome%20of%20D.C.%20Gay%20Marriage%20Legislation |archive-date=20 June 2010}}</ref>

===Non-sexual same-sex marriage===
====Kenya====
{{main|LGBT rights in Kenya}}
Female same-sex marriage is practiced among the [[Gikuyu people|Gikuyu]], [[Nandi people|Nandi]], [[Kamba people|Kamba]], [[Kipsigis people|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.<ref>''Gender and Language in Sub-Saharan Africa,'' 2013:35</ref>

====Nigeria====
{{main|Recognition of same-sex unions in 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.<ref name="NigeriaTribune">{{Cite web |last=Igwe |first=Leo |date=19 June 2009 |title=Tradition of same gender marriage in Igboland |url=http://www.tribune.com.ng/19062009/opinion.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111010506/http://www.tribune.com.ng/19062009/opinion.html |archive-date=11 January 2010 |website=Nigerian Tribune}}</ref>

== Studies ==
The [[American Anthropological Association]] stated on 26 February 2004:{{blockquote|text=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.<ref name="aaa">{{Cite web |last=American Anthropological Association |author-link=American Anthropological Association |year=2004 |title=Statement on Marriage and the Family |url=http://www.aaanet.org/issues/policy-advocacy/Statement-on-Marriage-and-the-family.cfm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912104755/http://www.aaanet.org/issues/policy-advocacy/Statement-on-Marriage-and-the-Family.cfm |archive-date=12 September 2015 |access-date=18 September 2015}}</ref>}}

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.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 June 2015 |title=Same-sex marriage and children's well-being: Research roundup |work=Journalist's Resource |url=http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/gender-society/same-sex-marriage-children-well-being-research-roundup |url-status=live |access-date=29 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102172415/http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/gender-society/same-sex-marriage-children-well-being-research-roundup |archive-date=2 January 2016}}</ref>{{vague|date=February 2021}}

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.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1002/pam.22587|title = A review of the effects of legal access to same-sex marriage |journal = Journal of Policy Analysis and Management|year = 2024|last1=Badgett|first1=M.V. Lee|last2=Carpenter|first2=Christopher S.|last3=Lee|first3=Maxine J.|last4=Sansone|first4 = Dario|volume = 44 |pages = 266–294 |doi-access=free|hdl=10871/135707|hdl-access=free}}</ref> 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.<ref name="aap2006" /><ref name="autogenerated4">Herek, Gregory M. "Legal recognition of same-sex relationships in the United States: A social science perspective." ''American Psychologist,'' Vol 61(6), September 2006, pp. 607–21.</ref>{{update inline|date=December 2023}} Studies in the United States have correlated legalization of same-sex marriage to lower rates of HIV infection,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Elaine Justice |title=Study Links Gay Marriage Bans to Rise in HIV infections |url=http://www.emory.edu/home/news/releases/2009/06/study-links-gay-marriage-bans-to-rise-in-hiv-rate.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409072056/http://www.emory.edu/home/news/releases/2009/06/study-links-gay-marriage-bans-to-rise-in-hiv-rate.html |archive-date=9 April 2010 |access-date=5 November 2010 |publisher=Emory University}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Peng |first=Handie |title=The Effect of Same-Sex Marriage Laws on Public Health and Welfare |journal=Userwww.service.emory.edu |url=https://emory.academia.edu/HandiePeng/Papers/430809/The_Effects_of_Same-Sex_Marriage_Laws_on_Public_Health_and_Welfare |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220025915/http://emory.academia.edu/HandiePeng/Papers/430809/The_Effects_of_Same-Sex_Marriage_Laws_on_Public_Health_and_Welfare |archive-date=20 February 2012 |access-date=11 February 2012}}</ref> psychiatric disorders,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hasin |first=Deborah |title=Lesbian, gay, bisexual individuals risk psychiatric disorders from discriminatory policies |url=http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-03/cums-lgb030210.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227012518/http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-03/cums-lgb030210.php |archive-date=27 February 2013 |access-date=20 September 2012 |publisher=[[Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health]]}}</ref><ref name="psychtoday">{{Cite news |last=Mustanski |first=Brian |date=22 March 2010 |title=New study suggests bans on gay marriage hurt mental health of LGB people |work=[[Psychology Today]] |url=http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-sexual-continuum/201003/new-study-suggests-bans-gay-marriage-hurt-mental-health-lgb-people |access-date=8 November 2010}}</ref> and [[Suicide among LGBT youth|suicide rate in the LGBT population]].<ref name="JAMA">{{Cite journal |last1=Raifman |first1=Julia |last2=Moscoe |first2=Ellen |last3=Austin |first3=S. Bryn |last4=McConnell |first4=Margaret |year=2017 |title=Difference-in-Differences Analysis of the Association Between State Same-Sex Marriage Policies and Adolescent Suicide Attempts|journal=JAMA Pediatrics |volume=171 |issue=4 |pages=350–356 |doi=10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.4529 |pmc=5848493 |pmid=28241285}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 February 2017 |title=Same-Sex Marriage Legalization Linked to Reduction in Suicide Attempts Among High School Students |url=https://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2017/same-sex-marriage-legalization-linked-to-reduction-in-suicide-attempts-among-high-school-students.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429010934/https://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2017/same-sex-marriage-legalization-linked-to-reduction-in-suicide-attempts-among-high-school-students.html |archive-date=29 April 2019 |access-date=8 June 2018 |website=[[Johns Hopkins University]]}}</ref>

==Issues==
{{See also|LGBT rights opposition}}
While few societies have recognized same-sex unions as marriages,{{update inline|date=January 2024}} the [[history of same-sex unions|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|date=June 2018}} 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,<ref name="Laurie">{{Cite web |last=Laurie |first=Timothy |date=3 June 2015 |title=Bigotry or biology: the hard choice for an opponent of marriage equality |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-03/laurie-bigotry-or-biology/6514156 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150604151718/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-03/laurie-bigotry-or-biology/6514156 |archive-date=4 June 2015 |access-date=4 June 2015 |publisher=The Drum}}</ref> undermines a right of children to be raised by their biological mother and father.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Blankenhorn |first=David |date=19 September 2008 |title=Protecting marriage to protect children |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-blankenhorn19-2008sep19,0,6057126.story |url-status=live |access-date=6 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090904154130/http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-blankenhorn19-2008sep19,0,6057126.story |archive-date=4 September 2009}}</ref> Some supporters of same-sex marriages take the view that the government should have no role in regulating personal relationships,<ref name="findlaw1">{{Cite web |title=See discussion of prenuptial and postmarital agreements at Findlaw |url=http://family.findlaw.com/marriage/marriage-agreements |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025170627/http://family.findlaw.com/marriage/marriage-agreements/ |archive-date=25 October 2010 |access-date=5 November 2010 |publisher=Family.findlaw.com}}</ref> while others argue that same-sex marriages would provide social benefits to same-sex couples.{{efn|1=Dale Carpenter is a prominent spokesman for this view. For a better understanding of this view, see Carpenter's writings at {{Cite web |title=Dale Carpenter |url=http://www.indegayforum.org/staff/show/91.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061117201231/http://www.indegayforum.org/staff/show/91.html |archive-date=17 November 2006 |access-date=31 October 2006 |website=Independent Gay Forum}} }} 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|date=July 2017}}

===Parenting===
{{Main|LGBT parenting|Same-sex marriage and the family}}
[[File:P051702-149695.jpg|thumb|Same-sex 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.<ref name="amici">{{Cite web |title=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&nbsp;– Appeal from United States District Court for the Northern District of California Civil Case No. 09-CV-2292 VRW (Honorable Vaughn R. Walker) |url=http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/general/2010/10/27/amicus29.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413160709/http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/general/2010/10/27/amicus29.pdf |archive-date=13 April 2015 |access-date=5 November 2010}}</ref><ref name="cpa2006">{{Cite web |year=2006 |title=Marriage of Same-Sex Couples – 2006 Position Statement Canadian Psychological Association |url=http://www.cpa.ca/cpasite/userfiles/Documents/Marriage%20of%20Same-Sex%20Couples%20Position%20Statement%20-%20October%202006%20(1).pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419195945/http://www.cpa.ca/cpasite/userfiles/Documents/Marriage%20of%20Same-Sex%20Couples%20Position%20Statement%20-%20October%202006%20%281%29.pdf |archive-date=19 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |display-authors=etal |vauthors=Pawelski JG, Perrin EC, Foy JM |date=July 2006 |title=The effects of marriage, civil union, and domestic partnership laws on the health and well-being of children |journal=[[Pediatrics (journal)|Pediatrics]] |volume=118 |issue=1 |pages=349–64 |doi=10.1542/peds.2006-1279 |pmid=16818585 |s2cid=219194821 |doi-access=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lamb |first=Michael |title=Expert Affidavit for U.S. District Court (D. Mass. 2009) |url=http://www.glad.org/uploads/docs/cases/pedersen-v-opm/2011-09-14-pedersen-lamb-rebuttal-afffidavit.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924022457/http://www.glad.org/uploads/docs/cases/pedersen-v-opm/2011-09-14-pedersen-lamb-rebuttal-afffidavit.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015 |access-date=24 July 2012 |publisher=Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders}}</ref><ref name="AAP-Discovery">{{Cite web |date=22 March 2013 |title=Pediatricians: Gay Marriage Good for Kids' Health |url=http://news.discovery.com/human/health/pediatricians-gay-marriage-is-good-for-kids-health-130322.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112053402/http://news.discovery.com/human/health/pediatricians-gay-marriage-is-good-for-kids-health-130322.htm |archive-date=12 November 2014 |access-date=11 April 2013 |publisher=news.discovery.com}}</ref>

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.<ref name=cpa2006/><ref name="AAP-Discovery" /><ref name="apsp">{{Cite web |title=Elizabeth Short, Damien W. Riggs, Amaryll Perlesz, Rhonda Brown, Graeme Kane: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Parented Families – A Literature Review prepared for The Australian Psychological Society |url=http://www.psychology.org.au/Assets/Files/LGBT-Families-Lit-Review.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304014530/http://www.psychology.org.au/Assets/Files/LGBT-Families-Lit-Review.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2011 |access-date=5 November 2010}}</ref><ref name="amici2010">{{Cite web |title=Brief of the American Psychological Association, The California Psychological Association, The American Psychiatric Association, and The American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy as Amici Curiae in Support of Plaintiff-Appellees |url=http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/general/2010/10/27/amicus29.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413160709/http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/general/2010/10/27/amicus29.pdf |archive-date=13 April 2015 |access-date=28 September 2012 |publisher=[[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]]}}</ref> According to scientific literature reviews, there is no evidence to the contrary.<ref name="aap2006">{{Cite journal |last1=Pawelski |first1=J.G. |last2=Perrin |first2=E.C. |last3=Foy |first3=J.M. |last4=Allen |first4=C.E. |last5=Crawford |first5=J.E. |last6=Del Monte |first6=M. |last7=Kaufman |first7=M. |last8=Klein |first8=J.D. |last9=Smith |first9=K. |last10=Springer |first10=S. |last11=Tanner |first11=J.L. |last12=Vickers |first12=D.L. |year=2006 |title=The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-being of Children |journal=Pediatrics |volume=118 |issue=1 |pages=349–64 |doi=10.1542/peds.2006-1279 |pmid=16818585 |s2cid=219194821 |doi-access=}}</ref><ref name="herek">{{Cite journal |last=Herek, GM |date=September 2006 |title=Legal recognition of same-sex relationships in the United States: a social science perspective |url=http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/AP_06_pre.PDF |url-status=dead |journal=The American Psychologist |volume=61 |issue=6 |pages=607–21 |doi=10.1037/0003-066X.61.6.607 |pmid=16953748 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610164736/http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/AP_06_pre.PDF |archive-date=10 June 2010}}</ref><ref name="How Does the Gender of Parents Matter?">{{Cite journal |last1=Biblarz, Timothy J. |last2=Stacey, Judith |date=February 2010 |title=How Does the Gender of Parents Matter? |url=http://www.famigliearcobaleno.org/public/documenti/file/How-Does-the-Gender-of-Parents-Matter.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Journal of Marriage and Family |volume=72 |issue=1 |pages=3–22 |citeseerx=10.1.1.593.4963 |doi=10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.00678.x |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512111336/http://www.famigliearcobaleno.org/public/documenti/file/How-Does-the-Gender-of-Parents-Matter.pdf |archive-date=12 May 2013}}</ref><ref name="cpa2005">{{Cite web |title=Brief presented to the Legislative House of Commons Committee on Bill C38 by the Canadian Psychological Association – 2 June 2005. |url=http://www.cpa.ca/cpasite/UserFiles/Documents/advocacy/brief.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013225547/http://www.cpa.ca/cpasite/userfiles/Documents/advocacy/brief.pdf |archive-date=13 October 2012 |access-date=7 August 2018}}</ref>{{update inline|date=December 2023}}

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.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Goldberg |first1=Abbie E. |title=LGBTQ-parent families: Diversity, intersectionality, and social context |journal=Current Opinion in Psychology |date=February 2023 |volume=49 |article-number=101517 |doi=10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101517|pmid=36502588 |s2cid=253665001 |url=https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_psychology/4 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Leal |first1=Daniela |last2=Gato |first2=Jorge |last3=Coimbra |first3=Susana |last4=Freitas |first4=Daniela |last5=Tasker |first5=Fiona |title=Social Support in the Transition to Parenthood Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Persons: A Systematic Review |journal=Sexuality Research and Social Policy |date=December 2021 |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=1165–1179 |doi=10.1007/s13178-020-00517-y|hdl=10216/132451 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

====Adoption====
{{main|LGBT adoption}}
[[File:World same-sex adoption laws.svg|center|thumb|upright=3|Legal status of adoption by same-sex couples around the world: {{legend|#800080|Joint adoption allowed}}
{{legend|#ba75ff|Second-parent (stepchild) adoption allowed}}
{{legend|#CCCCCC|No laws allowing adoption by same-sex couples and no same-sex marriage}}
{{legend|#E4D69D|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|date=December 2023}}

===Transgender and intersex people===
{{synthesis|date=May 2017}}
{{See also|Transgender rights|Intersex human rights}}
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|date=February 2021}} 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.<ref>Bockting, Walter, Autumn Benner, and Eli Coleman. "Gay and Bisexual Identity Development Among Female-to-Male Transsexuals in North America: Emergence of a Transgender Sexuality." ''Archives of Sexual Behavior'' 38.5 (October 2009): 688–701. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. 29 September 2009</ref>

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|date=February 2020}}, 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 July 2006 |title=Austria gets first same-sex marriage |url=http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/07/070506austria.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017161302/http://365gay.com/Newscon06/07/070506austria.htm |archive-date=17 October 2007 |access-date=20 July 2008 |publisher=365gay.com}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 January 2013 |title=Sweden ends forced sterilization of trans |url=http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/sweden-ends-forced-sterilization-trans110113 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612234631/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/sweden-ends-forced-sterilization-trans110113/ |archive-date=12 June 2018 |access-date=10 October 2017 |website=gaystarnews.com}}</ref> In the United States, transgender and intersex marriages was subject to legal complications.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Deborah |first=Anthony |date=Spring 2012 |title=CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE: TRANSSEXUAL MARRIAGE AND THE DISCONNECT BETWEEN SEX AND LEGAL SEX. |journal=Texas Journal of Women & the Law |volume=21 |issue=2}}</ref> As definitions and enforcement of marriage are defined by the states, these complications vary from state to state,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schwartz |first=John |date=18 September 2009 |title=U.S. Defends Marriage Law |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/19/us/19brfs-USDEFENDSMAR_BRF.html |url-status=live |access-date=29 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714172436/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/19/us/19brfs-USDEFENDSMAR_BRF.html |archive-date=14 July 2014}}</ref> as some of them prohibit legal changes of gender.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Movement Advancement Project {{!}} Equality Maps |url=http://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422164047/http://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps |archive-date=22 April 2019 |access-date=2019-04-19 |website=www.lgbtmap.org |language=en}}</ref>

===Divorce===
{{Main|Divorce of same-sex couples}}
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.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Matthew S. Coleman |date=16 September 2015 |title=Obergefell v. Hodges |url=http://www.einhornharris.com/familylawblog/obergefell-v-hodges |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224103921/http://www.einhornharris.com/familylawblog/obergefell-v-hodges/ |archive-date=24 December 2015 |access-date=8 November 2015 |publisher=Einhorn Harris}}</ref>

===Judicial and legislative===
{{Main|Conflict of marriage laws#Same-sex marriage}}
There are differing positions regarding the manner in which same-sex marriage has been introduced into democratic jurisdictions. A "[[direct democracy|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.<ref name="USA Today">{{Cite news |last=Leff |first=Lisa |date=4 December 2008 |title=Poll: Calif. gay marriage ban driven by religion |work=USA Today |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-12-04-gay-poll_N.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208080418/http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-12-04-gay-poll_N.htm |archive-date=8 December 2008}} archived here.</ref>

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.<ref name="bbc">{{Cite news |last=Mirchandani, Rajesh |date=12 November 2008 |title=Divisions persist over gay marriage ban |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7723645.stm |url-status=live |access-date=18 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428173747/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7723645.stm |archive-date=28 April 2014}}</ref>

==Public opinion==
{{See also|Public opinion of same-sex marriage in the United States|Public opinion of same-sex marriage in Australia}}
[[File:Public Support of Same-Sex Marriage.svg|center|thumb|upright=3|Public opinion of same-sex marriage. Fraction in favor:<ref>For ease of comparison, only 'yes' and 'no' responses are counted. For old polling data, support figures have been adjusted upward @1%/year.</ref>
{{col-begin}}
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{{legend|#58006e|5⁄6+}}
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{{legend|#f0f0f0|no polls}}
{{col-end}}
]]

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.<ref name="Gallup2011">{{Cite web |last=Newport |first=Frank |date=20 May 2011 |title=For First Time, Majority of Americans Favor Legal Gay Marriage |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/147662/First-Time-Majority-Americans-Favor-Legal-Gay-Marriage.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729043935/http://www.gallup.com/poll/147662/First-Time-Majority-Americans-Favor-Legal-Gay-Marriage.aspx |archive-date=29 July 2014 |access-date=25 September 2012 |publisher=[[The Gallup Organization|Gallup]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Public Opinion: Nationally |url=http://www.australianmarriageequality.com/wp/who-supports-equality/a-majority-of-australians-support-marriage-equality |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303043929/http://www.australianmarriageequality.com/wp/who-supports-equality/a-majority-of-australians-support-marriage-equality/ |archive-date=3 March 2011 |access-date=25 September 2012 |publisher=australianmarriageequality.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gay Life in Estonia |url=http://www.globalgayz.com/europe/estonia/gay-life-in-estonia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716100828/http://www.globalgayz.com/europe/estonia/gay-life-in-estonia |archive-date=16 July 2012 |access-date=25 September 2012 |publisher=globalgayz.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Jowit |first=Juliette |date=12 June 2012 |title=Gay marriage gets ministerial approval |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/jun/12/gay-marriage-receive-ministerial-approval |url-status=live |access-date=25 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506173542/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/jun/12/gay-marriage-receive-ministerial-approval |archive-date=6 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=24 February 2011 |title=Most Irish people support gay marriage, poll says |work=PinkNews |url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/02/24/most-irish-people-support-gay-marriage-poll-says |url-status=dead |access-date=25 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926032112/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/02/24/most-irish-people-support-gay-marriage-poll-says |archive-date=26 September 2013}}</ref>{{update inline|date=December 2021}}

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.<ref name="Pew Survey 2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/13/how-people-in-24-countries-view-same-sex-marriage/|title=How people in 24 countries view same-sex marriage|access-date=12 December 2023|archive-date=13 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230613155000/https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/13/how-people-in-24-countries-view-same-sex-marriage/|url-status=live}}</ref>

;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.<ref name="Pew Survey 2023"/>

<div style="overflow:auto">
{{ #invoke:Chart | bar-chart
| height = 400
| width = 1200
| stack = 1
| group 1 = 33 : 52 : 37 : 34 : 52 : 43 : 35 : 57 : 54 : 64 : 48 : 47 : 59 : 62 : 71 : 73 : 34 : 20 : 5 : 90 : 15 : 89 : 87 : 82 : 80 : 79 : 74 : 53 : 36 : 31 : 5 : 2
| group 2 = 42 : 29 : 28 : 27 : 26 : 24 : 24 : 22 : 22 : 20 : 19 : 17 : 15 : 13 : 11 : 8 : 8 : 7 : 7 : 6 : 5 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0
| x legends = <small>Taiw</small> : <small>Mex</small> : <small>Sing</small> : <small>ROK</small> : <small>HK</small> : <small>Gre</small> : <small>Pol</small> : <small>Viet</small> : <small>Thai</small> : <small>Jpn</small> : <small>Cam</small> :  <small>Braz</small> : <small>USA</small> : <small>Arg</small> : <small>Ital</small> : <small>Oz</small> : <small>S. Af.</small> : <small>Sri Lanka</small> : <small>Keny</small> : <small>Swed</small> : <small>Malay</small> : <small>Neth</small> : <small>Spa</small> : <small>Fran</small> : <small>Germ</small> : <small>Cana</small> : <small>UK</small> : <small>India</small> : <small>Isra</small> : <small>Hung</small> : <small>Indo</small> : <small>Nigeria</small>
| colors = navy : blue
| group names = over 35 : additional support from those under 35
}}
</div>

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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.varkeyfoundation.org/media/4487/global-young-people-report-single-pages-new.pdf|title=What the world's young people think and feel.|access-date=26 December 2023|archive-date=20 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820230036/https://www.varkeyfoundation.org/media/4487/global-young-people-report-single-pages-new.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aifs.gov.au/research/family-matters/no-100/who-supports-equal-rights-same-sex-couples|title=Who supports equal rights for same-sex couples? |website=Australian Institute of Family Studies}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=Jun 2, 2015 |title=Age is decisive factor when it comes to supporting same-sex marriage: LAPOP |url=https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2015/06/02/age-is-decisive-factor-when-it-comes-to-supporting-same-sex-marriage-lapop/ |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=Vanderbilt University |language=en-US |archive-date=26 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231226021910/https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2015/06/02/age-is-decisive-factor-when-it-comes-to-supporting-same-sex-marriage-lapop/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{ #invoke:Chart | bar-chart
| height = 300
| width = 800
| stack = 1
| group 1 = 82 : 81 : 77 : 77 : 74 : 74 : 73 : 73 : 71 : 59 : 54 : 54 : 53 : 53 : 50 : 47 : 33 : 16
| x legends = <small>Germ</small> : <small>Cana</small> : <small>Oz</small> : <small>UK</small> : <small>NZ</small> : <small>Fran</small> : <small>Ital</small> : <small>Arg</small> : <small>USA</small> : <small>Braz</small> : <small>Chin</small> :  <small>S. Af.</small> : <small>India</small> : <small>Jpn</small> : <small>Isra</small> : <small>ROK</small> : <small>Turk</small> : <small>Nigeria</small>
| colors = navy
| group names = 18&ndash;21 year-olds
}}

(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.)

{{Same-sex marriage opinion polls worldwide}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|LGBTQ|Human sexuality|Law}}
* [[LGBT rights by country or territory]]
* [[Religion and sexuality]]
* [[Legal status of same-sex marriage]]
* [[Societal attitudes toward homosexuality]]
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{notelist|35em}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book |last=Boswell |first=John |title=The Marriage of Likeness: Same-sex Unions in Pre-modern Europe |publisher=Simon Harper and Collins |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-00-255508-1 |location=New York |author-link=John Boswell (historian)}}
* {{Cite book |last=Boswell |first=John |url=https://archive.org/details/samesexunionsinp00bosw |title=Same-sex Unions in Premodern Europe |publisher=Villard Books |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-679-43228-9 |location=New York |author-link=John Boswell}}
* {{Cite book |last=Brownson |first=James V. |url=https://archive.org/details/biblegendersexua0000brow |title=Bible, Gender, Sexuality: Reforming the Church's Debate on Same-Sex Relationships |publisher=[[Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company]] |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-8028-6863-3 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Calò |first=Emanuele |title=Matrimonio à la carte&nbsp;— Matrimoni, convivenze registrate e divorzi dopo l'intervento comunitario |publisher=Giuffrè |year=2009 |location=Milano}}
* {{Cite book |last=Caramagno |first=Thomas C. |title=Irreconcilable Differences? Intellectual Stalemate in the Gay Rights Debate |publisher=Praeger |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-275-97721-4 |location=Westport, CT}}
* {{Cite book |last=Cere |first=Daniel |url=https://archive.org/details/divorcingmarriag0000unse |title=Divorcing Marriage: Unveiling the Dangers in Canada's New Social Experiment |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7735-2895-6 |location=Montreal |author-link=Daniel Cere |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Chauncey |first=George |url=https://archive.org/details/whymarriagehisto0000chau |title=Why Marriage?: The History Shaping Today's Debate over Gay Equality |publisher=Basic Books |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-465-00957-2 |location=New York |author-link=George Chauncey |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dobson |first=James C. |url=https://archive.org/details/marriageunderfir00dobs |title=Marriage Under Fire |publisher=Multnomah |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-59052-431-2 |location=Sisters, Or. |author-link=James Dobson}}
* {{Cite book |title=The Meaning of Marriage: Family, State, Market, And Morals |publisher=Spence Publishing Company |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-890626-64-8 |editor-last=George |editor-first=Robert P. |location=Dallas |editor-last2=Elshtain |editor-first2=Jean Bethke |editor-link2=Jean Bethke Elshtain}}
* {{Cite book |title=Our Families, Our Values: Snapshots of Queer Kinship |publisher=The Harrington Park Press, An Imprint of the Haworth Press, Inc. |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-56023-910-9 |editor-last=Goss |editor-first=Robert E. |editor-link=Robert Goss |location=New York, NY |editor-last2=Strongheart |editor-first2=Amy Adams Squire}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Greenwich, Alex |title=Yes Yes Yes: Australia's Journey to Marriage Equality |last2=Robinson, Shirleene |publisher=NewSouth Books |year=2018 |isbn=9781742235998 |location=Australia}}
* {{Cite book |last=Larocque |first=Sylvain |title=Gay Marriage: The Story of a Canadian Social Revolution |publisher=James Lorimer & Company |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-55028-927-5 |location=Toronto}}
* {{Cite book |title=Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty: Emerging Conflicts |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7425-6326-1 |editor-last=Laycock |editor-first=Douglas |editor-link=Douglas Laycock |location=Lanham, MD |editor-last2=Picarello |editor-first2=Anthony Jr. |editor-last3=Wilson |editor-first3=Robin Fretwell}}
* {{Cite book |last=Moats |first=David |url=https://archive.org/details/civilwarsbattlef00moat |title=Civil Wars: A Battle For Gay Marriage |publisher=Harcourt, Inc. |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-15-101017-2 |location=New York, NY}}
* {{Cite book |last=Oliver |first=Marilyn Tower |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XXIFAAAACAAJ |title=Gay and lesbian rights: a struggle |publisher=Enslow Publishers |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-89490-958-0 |access-date=28 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204174006/https://books.google.com/books?id=XXIFAAAACAAJ |archive-date=4 February 2021 |url-status=live}}
* {{Cite book |last=Rauch |first=Jonathan |title=Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America |title-link=Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America |publisher=Henry Holt and Company, LLC |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-8050-7815-2 |location=New York, NY |author-link=Jonathan Rauch}}
* {{Cite book |last=Rugg, Sally |title=How Powerful We Are : Behind the scenes with one of Australia's leading activists |publisher=Hachette Australia |year=2019 |isbn=9780733642227 |location=Australia |oclc=1103918151}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Smart |first1=Carol |title=Same sex marriages: new generations, new relationships. Genders and sexualities in the social sciences |last2=Heaphy |first2=Brian |last3=Einarsdottir |first3=Anna |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2013 |isbn=9780230300231 |location=Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire}}
* {{Cite book |last=Spedale |first=Darren |url=https://archive.org/details/gaymarriageforbe0000eskr |title=Gay Marriage: For Better or For Worse? What We've Learned From the Evidence |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-19-518751-9 |location=New York |author-link=Darren Spedale}}
* {{Cite book |title=Same-Sex Marriage: Pro and Con&nbsp;— A Reader, Revised Updated Edition |publisher=Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc. |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-4000-7866-0 |editor-last=Sullivan |editor-first=Andrew |editor-link=Andrew Sullivan |location=New York, NY}}
* {{Cite book |last=Truluck |first=Rembert S. |title=Steps to Recovery from Bible Abuse |publisher=Chi Rho Press, Inc. |year=2000 |isbn=978-1-888493-16-0 |location=Gaithersburg, MD |author-link=Rembert S. Truluck}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wolfson |first=Evan |url=https://archive.org/details/whymarriagematte00wolf |title=Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7432-6459-4 |location=New York |author-link=Evan Wolfson |url-access=registration}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|auto=yes}}
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{{Status of same-sex unions}}
{{Marriage amendments}}
{{Types of marriages}}
{{LGBTQ|state=collapsed|rights=expanded}}
{{Discrimination}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Same-sex marriage| ]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-related legislation]]