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Same-Sex Marriage Laws
Many states have adopted constitutional amendments defining marriage as between one man and one woman. In 2004 an overwhelming 13 states adopted marriage definition amendments. In May 2005
Kansas voters approved an amendment, followed by Alabama in June 2006. In November 2006 7 more states passed marriage amendments, with one state, Arizona, failing to do so.
Connecticut went against this trend by adopting same-sex civil union legislation in 2005, with a definition of marriage contained in the legislation. This legislation was overturned by the Connecticut Supreme Court in October 2008 making same-sex marriage legal in the state. In November 2008, three more states adopted constitutional amendments banning gay marriage, Arizona was one of those states. Voters of California also overrode a State Supreme Court ruling supporting same-sex marriage.
44 States Have Laws Defining Traditional Marriage
States with Constitutional Amendments (30):
Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin,
Arizona and Florida.
States where Statutes Prohibit Same-Sex Marriage - DOMA (14):
Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnisota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming
States where Same-Sex Marriage is Legal - all by court order (2):
Connecticut, Massachusetts
as of election results from November 4, 2008
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