Gay marriage was legally recognized in several jurisdictions within the United States in August 2013. It is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or
gender identity that is one of the important issues in the United State historically.
In 1924, the Society for Human Rights in Chicago became the country's earliest
gay rights organization. It was the first movement to obtain marriage rights and benefits for same-sex couples in the United States which began in the 1970s, but became more prominent politics in 1993 when the Hawaii Supreme Court declared the state's prohibition to be unconstitutional in a couple. In addition, in 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) banning federal recognition of
same-sex marriage and defining marriage as “ a legal union between one man and one
woman as husband and wife”. Even though some same-sex couples had appealed for a long time, the government didn’t change its mind
However, public support for same-sex marriage has grown considerably. For
instance, in 2003, same-sex couples in Massachusetts appealed to the Supreme Court and said that state law didn’t ban it. As a result, same-sex marriage in Massachusetts
began on May 17, 2004. Crowds gathered around city hall at midnight on the 16th. It was big news in the United States. Afterwards, movement was seen in many places.
Massachusetts was not the first place in the world to legalize gay marriage. The
Netherlands legalized gay marriage on April 1, 2001, being the first country in the
world to do so. Belgium soon became the next country to legalize gay marriage, on
January 30th, 2003. So it’s little by little that has recognized in the world. Changing is
very good trend.
At present in 2013, thirteen states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode
Island, Vermont, and Washington), the District of Columbia, and five Native American
tribes have legalized same-sex marriage in United States. Afterward, I hope that it’s
recognized all states and all over the world.