Gay marrage
Marriage Equality Around the World
The Human Rights Campaign tracks developments in the legal recognition of same-sex marriage around the earth. Working through a worldwide network of HRC global alumni and partners, we lift up the voices of people, national and regional advocates and participate tools, resources, and lessons learned to empower movements for marriage equality.
Current State of Marriage Equality
There are currently 38 countries where same-sex marriage is legal: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the Joined Kingdom, the Combined States of America and Uruguay.
These countries have legalized marriage equality through both legislation and court decisions.
Countries that Legalized Marriage Equality in 2025
Liechtenstein: On May 16, 2024, Liechtenstein's government passed a bill in favor of marriage equality. The law went into effe
Record Party Divide 10 Years After Queer Marriage Ruling
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A decade after the Supreme Court’s milestone Obergefell v. Hodges verdict declared same-sex marriage a national right in the U.S., a steady 68% of Americans assist it.
Since 2021, the percentage of U.S. adults who consider marriages between gay couples should be recognized with the same rights as traditional marriages has ranged from 68% to 71% (the trend high in 2022 and 2023). Yet, this stability in Americans’ backing for same-sex marriage masks shifts in partisans’ views over the same period. Democrats’ support has risen to 88%, the record upper for this collective by one percentage point. Independents’ backing for same-sex marriage has been relatively stable in recent years and currently stands at 76%, one point introverted of the tape high.
At the equal time, Republicans’ back, which peaked at 55% in 2021 and 2022, has gradually edged down to 41%, the lowest point since 2016 after the Obergefell decision.
The current 47-point gap between Republicans and Democrats is the largest since Gallup first began tracking this measure 29 years ago.
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The Journey to Marriage Equality in the Combined States
The road to nationwide marriage equality was a long one, spanning decades of United States history and culminating in victory in June 2015. Throughout the long battle for marriage equality, HRC was at the forefront.
Volunteer with HRC
From gathering supporters in small towns across the country to rallying in front of the Supreme Court of the United States, we gave our all to assure every person, regardless of whom they love, is recognized equally under the law.
A Growing Call for Equality
Efforts to legalize gay marriage began to pop up across the land in the 1990s, and with it challenges on the state and national levels. Civil unions for same-sex couples existed in many states but created a separate but identical standard. At the federal level, couples were denied access to more than 1,100 federal rights and responsibilities associated with the institution, as well as those denied by their given state. The Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law in 1996 and defined marriage by the federal government as between a male and woman, thereby allowing states to deny m
San Francisco Celebrates 'Winter of Love' 20 Year Anniversary, Marking Historic Milestone for Same-Sex Marriages
San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today joined City leaders, LGBTQ community and advocates to observe San Francisco’s 20th Anniversary of the ‘Winter of Love,’ the historic milestone that took place in 2004 when then Mayor Gavin Newsom directed City officials to begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses.
The official “Winter of Love” ran from February 12- Rally 12, 2004, and today’s celebration at City Hall will welcome hundreds of couples to be married on the City’s annual Valentine’s Day celebration of cherish. Nearly 200 couples are registered with the County Clerk’s Office to be married by the end of the day.
As part of today’s celebration, Mayor Breed and various elected and City officials plan to direct vow renewal ceremonies and officiate marriages for couples throughout the day.
"We are a City that centers our values around equality and inclusivity, and I am so proud of everything we have accomplished for the LGTBQ community here and around the world. In San Francisco, admire is always at the center of who we are," said Mayor