July 1989 - Court Rulings Define Same-Sex Couples as Families

March 1992 - Same-Sex Employees Begin to Receive Domestic Partner Benefits

 

Apr. 1, 2001 - Netherlands Becomes World's First Country to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage

 

May 17, 2004 - First Legal Gay Marriage in the United States

 

Aug. 2005 - California Supreme Court Establishes Co-Parenting Rights for Same-Sex Couples

 

Sep. 6, 2005 - California Legislature First in United States to Approve Gay Marriage Legalization

 

Aug. 4, 2010 - US District Judge Rules CA Proposition 8 Unconstitutional

 

Feb. 23, 2011 - US President Barack Obama Declares Defense of Marriage Act Unconstitutional, Directs Department of Justice to Stop Defending the Law in Court

 

June 26, 2013 - US Supreme Court Says Proposition 8 Defenders Lack 'Standing,' Clears Way for Legal Gay Marriage in California

 

June 26, 2015 - US Supreme Court Makes Gay Marriage Legal in All 50 US States 

The acceptance of same sex marriage has not always been the case. It has been an uphill battle in order to make strides within our culture and our judicial system. Some of the early cases that challenged the law that prohibited issuing Marriage Licenses to Same Sex couples date back to 1993. Those cases took place in the states of Kentucky (72 cases) and the state of Washington (73 cases). In those cases the courts ruled “marriage is a union of a man and woman”. After those rulings numerous lawsuits began to pop up across the United States. The goal was to challenge “exclusion from same sex couple to marry”.  With this, the controversial debate sparked across the nation. Shortly after the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was enacted by Congress in 1996 which stated ‘‘No State, territory, or possession of the United States, or Indian tribe, shall be required to give effect to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other State, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a relationship between persons of the same sex that is treated as a marriage under the laws of such other State, territory, possession, or tribe, or a right or claim arising from such relationship.’’. Even though issuing a marriage license was not legal several states did begin recognize same sex couples and grant them benefits and protections such as the state of Vermont in 1999. 

Across the Global Same Sex Marriage became legal in the Netherlands which it the very first country to legalize Same Sex Marriage, huge step in the right direction.  With that they are able to claim pensions and their spouse’s benefits legally divorce and adopt Dutch children. Not to long after that Belgium decided it was time for a change as well. In 2003 they legalized Same Sex Marriage too making it the second country to do so. While other countries began to legalize Same Sex marriage couples in the United Stated began to become inpatient and did everything in their power to make these changes as well. 

Fast forward to the early 2000s a few states decided to spread the love too! Massachutes was officially the first state to legalize Same Sex marriages in 2003. New Mexico shortly followed by issuing marriage licenses to Same Sex couples as well Portland, Oregon. In reaction to that several states and Same Sex couples were in and out of courts. There were temporary bans for those states that started issuing Same Sex marriage licenses. Several states decided to ban Same Sex marriage and for awhile many felt hopeless and thought that chances of improved wouldn’t happen. 

Finally after countless votes, vetos, bans, uplifts of bans a glimmer of hope started to show.  President Obama declared the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional in 2011. He directed the Department of Justice to stop depending the law in court. Slowing but surely states started to legalize Same Sex marriage again. This opened the door for the grand finale which was the United States Supreme Court making Same Sex marriage legal in all 50 states in June 2015. It was definitely a huge win and victory for our nation as a whole and especially for the Gay/Lesbian community. 

Due to the improvements made in our judicial system the vast majority of the population has accepted that Same Sex marriage as our new normal. It is no longer taboo or unheard of. Now same sex couples are raising families, adopting children and creating a home life. For ages many believed that same sex couples were unable to raise a well adjusted child because they lacked one of the sexes which created an imbalance and the child would end up “defected” or “strange”.  Several studies have now proved that theory wrong and have established that the raising of a healthy child have absolutely nothing to do with their parents being the same sex. The emphasis is on the environment of which the child is raised.