SAME SEX MARRIAGES By: Rosabelle Nzambi

WHERE CAN THEY GET MARRIED?  Only 7 states in the US have marriage rights. New Hampshire Massachusetts Connecticut Iowa Vermont Maine New York

States who don’t recognize same sex marriage.  30 other states don’t even recognize same sex marriages  Other states like Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, and California recognize same- sex, domestic partnership, or civil unions.

In the 1990’s  The problems with same sex marriages and whether they should be legal started in the 1990’s and continue to change even today.

2009  Many of the countries around the world like Germany said it was ok to have same sex marriages.

1996  Defense of marriage act denied the recognition of same sex couples.

1998  Block out same sex marriage by November 1998, more than half of the 50 states blocked it out.

1999  December 20, 1999 Vermont said that same sex couples could have the same rights as other couples.  Civil unions, not quite a marriage but pretty close (same rules for divorce).

2001  California decided to pass a law that said same sex couples could have some of the same benefits, not all.

2002 In June of 2002 Connecticut passed a law saying gay and lesbian couples could have certain partnership rights and responsibilities.

2003  November 18, 2003 Massachusetts said that same sex couples had the right to marry. First state to ever say it was okay.

2004  On February 4, 2004 Massachusetts said that the civil union was not right, and was unconstitutional.

2008  Late in 2008 Connecticut was the second state to say, we will allow it.

2009  In April 2009 Iowa and Vermont decided they would allow the right to same sex couples.  In May of 2009 Maine joined

2011  New York fell in, they recognized them for years but finally decided they were okay with same sex marriages.

The years to come…  The status on what states accept, which states don’t, and which ones will let you changes year to year.  The conflict will never end though.