Should same sex marriage be legal

Discover a valuable tool for business owners, policymakers and investors to reliably assess companies' potential for growth. Subscribe to the Gallup News brief and real time alerts. Stay up to date with our latest insights. Gallup has previously found that Americans have greatly overestimated the U.

We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Within 11 years, same-sex marriage rights spread from just one state to all 50 and Washington, DC. Here's what led to the final decision by the Supreme Court. In , same-sex marriage was legal in just one state. But over the next 11 years, marriage equality spread across the nation — to 50 states and Washington, DC — through a mix of court decisions, ballot initiatives, and laws pushed through state legislatures.

Photos: Same-sex marriage in the U. Carlos McKnight of Washington waves a flag in support of same-sex marriage outside the U. Supreme Court on June 26, The Supreme Court ruled that states cannot ban same-sex marriage, handing gay rights advocates their biggest victory yet. See photos from states that approved same-sex marriage before the nationwide ruling:.

Same-sex marriage has been legalized in twenty-eight countries, including the United States, and civil unions are recognized in many Western democracies. Civil Society. While same-sex marriage has made the most gains in Western democracies, antidiscrimination laws are gaining traction worldwide. In , seventy-three countries, including some that retain sodomy laws, had protections against employment discrimination [PDF] based on gender identity or sexual orientation.