Same-sex marriage became legal in all US states in 2015, after the Supreme Court ruled that states must issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and recognize their rights.
In the late 20th century, with the rise of the LGBTQ rights movement, same-sex marriage started to become an important issue that sparked a cultural and political debate. Stonewall Riots started late 60s to fight back against the acts that were taken by police to prevent homosexuality, considering it illegal. This marked the beginning of the fight for gay rights and marriage equality.
Over time, homosexuality started becoming more accepted in American culture, which raised many concerns that partially ended in 1996 when Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), signed by Bill Clinton, defining marriage as the union between a man and a woman, preventing same-sex marriage, and allowing all states to ban same-sex marriages.
People started shifting their opinion in favor of same-sex marriage, which forced state and federal laws to start looking back into the decision of the ban. Until December 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled in Baker v. Vermont that same-sex couples were entitled to the same marital rights, privileges, and benefits granted to opposite-sex couples. Making Vermont the first US state to grant recognition and equal rights to same-sex couples.
Many states started taking action against the ban. Massachusetts was the first to legalize same-sex marriage in 2003 and officially began issuing marriage licenses a year after.
Marcia Kadish and Tanya McCloskey were the first legally married partners in the United States. On that same day, 77 other couples tied the knot across the state, and hundreds more applied for marriage licenses.
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