Three More States Approve Same-Sex Marriage

Same-sex marriage was on the ballot in four states this November. Voters in Maine, Maryland, and Washington approved ballot initiatives to recognize same-sex marriage, while voters in Minnesota rejected a measure to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman, according to the National Conference of State Legislators (NSCL). Once the new laws go into effect, 10 states, plus the District of Columbia, will permit gay and lesbian couples to marry.

With 32 states having restricted marriage to opposite sex couples, these results mark a big change in direction for same-sex marriage, NSCL notes. Since 1998, all but one of the 35 statewide votes held on same-sex marriage were to restrict marriage between one man and one woman. The exception was Arizona, where voters rejected a ban on same-sex marriage in 2006, but later approved one in 2008.

For a discussion of the fair housing implications of same-sex marriage, see our recent Special Issue: Legal Update on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Same-Sex Marriage, available in our online Archive.

Source: National Conference of State Legislators