As of May 21, 2014, gay marriage has been legalized
in 19 US states (CA, CT, DE, HI, IA, IL, MA, MD, ME, MN,
NH, NJ, NM, NY, OR, PA, RI, VT, and WA) and the
District of Columbia. 31 states have gay marriage
bans through either laws or constitutional amendments
or both.
Proponents argue that same-sex couples should have
access to the same marriage benefits and public
acknowledgment enjoyed by heterosexual couples and
that prohibiting gay marriage is unconstitutional
discrimination.
Opponents argue that altering the traditional definition
of marriage as between a man and a woman will further
weaken a threatened institution and that legalizing gay
marriage is a slippery slope that may lead to
polygamous and interspecies marriages.
As of Apr. 11, 2014, 15 out of 194 countries allow
same-sex couples to marry: the Netherlands (2000),
Belgium (2003), Canada (2005), Spain (2005), South
Africa (2006), Norway (2009), Sweden (2009), Argentina
(2010), Iceland (2010), Portugal (2010), Denmark
(2012), Uruguay (2013), New Zealand (2013), Brazil
(2013), and France (2013). Same-sex marriage is legal
in some jurisdictions of Mexico, the United Kingdom
(England, Scotland, and Wales), and the United States.
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