Same-sex marriage is legally recognized nationwide in 15 countries as of June 28,

2014: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, the

Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and
Uruguay.

In the United States, same-sex marriages are recognized on the federal level,
though same-sex couples can only marry in nineteen of the fifty states and
Washington D.C. In Mexico, same-sex marriages are only performed in Mexico City
and Quintana Roo, but these marriages are recognized by all Mexican states and by
the Mexican federal government. Israel does not recognize same-sex marriages
performed on its territory, but recognizes same-sex marriages performed in foreign
jurisdictions. In the UK, on February 4, 2014 the Scottish Parliament
overwhelmingly passed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage. The Marriage Act
for Same Sex Couples received Royal Assent and it is expected to come into force in
the Fall of 2014.

New Zealand

On April 17, 2013 the New Zealand parliament voted to make same-sex marriage
legal, 77 votes to 44. New Zealand has become the first Asia-Pacific country to
legalize same-sex marriage after lawmakers passed a bill on Wednesday extending
civil union rights to gay couples. The bill amended the country's 1955 Marriage Act,
making it not only the first in Asia-Pacific to legalize same-sex marriage, but the
13th worldwide.
Argentina

On July 15, 2010, the Argentine Senate approved a bill extending marriage rights to
same-sex couples. It was supported by the Government of President Cristina
Fernndez de Kirchner and opposed by the Catholic Church. Polls showed that
nearly 70% of Argentines supported giving gay people the same marital rights as
heterosexuals.
Belgium

Belgium became the second country in the world to legally recognize same-sex
marriages on 1 June 2003, with the coming into force of a bill passed by the Belgian
Federal Parliament. Originally, Belgium allowed the marriages of foreign same-sex
couples only if their country of origin also allowed these unions, however legislation
enacted in October 2004 permits any couple to marry if at least one of the spouses
has lived in the country for a minimum of three months. A 2006 law enabled legal
adoption by same-sex spouses.
Brazil

Brazil's Supreme Court ruled in May 2011 that same-sex couples are legally entitled
to civil unions, stopping short of same-sex marriage. Same-sex couples had their
civil unions converted into marriage in several Brazil states with the approval of a
state judge. If approved, that marriage is recognized in all the national territory.
Canada

Legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Canada followed a series of constitutional

challenges based on the equality provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and
Freedoms. In the first such case, Halpern v. Canada (Attorney General), same-sex
marriage ceremonies performed in Ontario on 14 January 2001 were subsequently
validated when the common law, opposite-sex definition of marriage was held to be
unconstitutional. Similar rulings had legalized same-sex marriage in eight provinces
and one territory when the 2005 Civil Marriage Act defined marriage throughout
Canada as "the lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all others."
Denmark

On 7 June 2012 the Folketing (Danish parliament) approved new laws regarding
same-sex civil and religious marriage. These laws permit gay and lesbians couples
to get married in the Church of Denmark. The bills received Royal Assent on 12 June
and took effect on 15 June 2012.
Iceland

Same-sex marriage was introduced in Iceland through legislation establishing a

gender-neutral definition of marriage introduced by the coalition government of the
Social Democratic Alliance and Left-Green Movement. The legislation was passed
unanimously by the Icelandic Althing on June 11, 2010, and took effect on June 27,
2010, replacing an earlier system of registered partnerships for same-sex couples.

Prime Minister Jhanna Sigurardttir and her partner were among first married
same-sex couples in the country.
Israel

Israel's High Court of Justice ruled to honor same-sex marriages granted in other
countries even though Israel does not recognize such marriages performed under its
own jurisdiction. A bill was raised in the Knesset (parliament) to rescind the High
Court's ruling, but the Knesset has not advanced the bill since December 2006. A
bill to legalize same-sex and interfaith civil marriages was defeated in the Knesset
39-11, on May 16, 2012.
Mexico

On December 21, 2009, the Federal District's Legislative Assembly legalized samesex marriages and adoption by same-sex couples. The law was enacted eight days
later and became effective in early March 2010. On August, 10 2010, the Mexican
Supreme Court ruled that while not every state must grant same-sex marriages,
they must all recognize those performed where they are legal. On November 28,
2011, the first two same-sex marriages occurred in Quintana Roo after discovering
that Quintana Roo's Civil Code did not explicitly prohibit same-sex marriage, but
these marriages were later annulled by the governor of Quintana Roo in April 2012.
In May 2012, the Secretary of State of Quintana Roo reversed the annulments and
allowed for future same-sex marriages to be performed in the state.
The Netherlands

The Netherlands was the first country to extend marriage laws to include same-sex
couples, following the recommendation of a special commission appointed to
investigate the issue in 1995. A same-sex marriage bill passed the House of
Representatives and the Senate in 2000, taking effect on April 1, 2001. In the
Netherlands' Caribbean special municipalities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba,
marriage is presently restricted to heterosexual couples; however, a law enabling
same-sex couples to marry has been passed and is planned to come into effect by
October 10, 2012. The Caribbean countries Aruba, Curaao and Sint Maarten,
forming the remainder of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, do not perform same-sex
marriages, but must recognize those performed in the European territory of the
Netherlands.
Norway

On 8 January 2010, the parliament approved, with 126 votes in favor, 97 against
and 7 abstentions, same-sex marriage. The President promulgated the law on 8
April, same-sex marriage become legal since 5 June 2010, thus Portugal became the
eighth country to conduct nationwide same-sex marriage.
South Africa

Legal recognition of same-sex marriages in South Africa came about as a result of

the Constitutional Court's decision in the case of Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie.
The court ruled on 1 December 2005 that the existing marriage laws violated the
equality clause of the Bill of Rights because they discriminated on the basis of
sexual orientation. The court gave Parliament one year to rectify the inequality. The
Civil Union Act was passed by the National Assembly on 14 November 2006, by a
vote of 230 to 41, and it came into force on 30 November 2006. South Africa is the
fifth country, the first in Africa, and the second outside Europe, to legalize same-sex
marriage.
Spain

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Spain since July 3, 2005. In 2004, the nation's
newly elected Socialist government, led by President Jos Luis Rodrguez Zapatero,
began a campaign for its legalization, including the right of adoption by same-sex
couples. After much debate, a law permitting same-sex marriage was passed by the
Cortes Generales (Spain's bicameral parliament, composed of the Senate and the
Congress of Deputies) on June 30, 2005 and published on July 2, 2005. Same-sex
marriage became legal in Spain on Sunday, July 3, 2005, making it the third country
in the world to do so, after the Netherlands and Belgium.
Sweden

Same-sex marriage in Sweden has been legal since 1 May 2009, following the
adoption of a new, gender-neutral law on marriage by the Swedish parliament on 1
April 2009, making Sweden the seventh country in the world to open marriage to
same sex couples nationwide. Marriage replaced Sweden's registered partnerships
for same-sex couples. Existing registered partnerships between same-sex couples
remained in force with an option to convert them into marriages.
United States

Same-sex marriage is legally recognized in some jurisdictions within the United

States and by the federal government. As of May 20, 2014, twenty states
(California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont , Washington and Wisconsin), as
well as the District of Columbia, have legalized same-sex marriage. Arkansas'
Wisconsin' and Michigan's Appeals Courts have halted same-sex marriages until the
US Appeals Courts hear arguments and issues judgements. In Michigan, a
judgement on the DeBoer v. Snyder case is expected to happen sometime in the
Summer of 2014. The same-sex marriages that took place in Michigan,Arkansas and
Wisconsin in March, 2014, May, 2014 and June, 2014 respectively are being
recognized by the Federal Government. Eight Native American tribal jurisdictions
issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples. Oregon recognizes same-sex
marriages performed in other states. A federal court declared Utah's ban on samesex marriage unconstitutional, and such marriages are taking place following that
ruling, which state attorneys plan to appeal. A federal judge ruled on January 14,
2014 that an Oklahoma law limiting marriage to heterosexual couples violates the
U.S. Constitution, giving yet another victory to same-sex marriage supporters. U.S.
District Court Judge Terence Kern said the court would not immediately enforce this
ruling -- therefore not opening the doors right away to marriages of gay and lesbian
couples in Oklahoma -- pending appeals. Still, he delivered a clear opinion on how
the voter-approved Oklahoma state constitutional amendment relates to the U.S.
Constitution. Based on this court rulling, Oklahoma may become the 20th State
where same sex marriages can take place. The same is true for Texas where a
Federal Judge stroke the ban on same sex marriage in early March, pending an
appeal to the 5th to the 5th Distric Court of Appeals in New Orleans, making the
state of Texas the 21st state to legaslize same sex marriage. While several
jurisdictions have legalized same-sex civil marriage through court rulings, legislative
action, and popular vote, six states prohibit same-sex civil marriage by statute and
29 prohibit it in their constitutions. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), enacted in
1996, allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed under the
laws of other states. Section 3 of DOMA prevented the federal government from
recognizing same-sex marriages until that provision was ruled unconstitutional by
the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26, 2013, in United States v. Windsor. The
movement to obtain marriage rights and benefits for same-sex couples in the
United States began in the 1970s, but became more prominent in U.S. politics in
1993 when the Hawaii Supreme Court declared the state's prohibition to be
unconstitutional in Baehr v. Lewin. During the 21st century, public support for
same-sex civil marriage has grown considerably, and national polls conducted since
2011 show that its legalization is supported by a majority of Americans. On May 9,
2012, Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. President to publicly declare
support for the legalization of same-sex civil marriage. On November 6, 2012,
Maine, Maryland, and Washington became the first states to legalize same-sex civil
marriage through popular vote.

Legal Benefits Available in Countries Short of Legalizing Marriage Equality:

Civil union, civil partnership, domestic partnership, registered partnership,

unregistered partnership, and unregistered cohabitation statuses offer varying legal
benefits of marriage and are available to same-sex couples in: Andorra, Australia,
Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary,
Ireland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Switzerland and the United
Kingdom. They are also available in parts of Mexico (Coahuila and Mexico City) and
the United States (Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon,
Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Washington, and federal District of Columbia). In some
countries with these legal recognitions, the actual benefits are minimal. Many
people consider civil unions, even those that grant equal rights, inadequate because
they create a separate status, and believe they should be replaced by genderneutral marriage.

http://www.freedomtomarry.org/landscape/entry/c/international helped me with my

project because it helped narrow down how many states are left to legalize equality
marriage.
http://gaymarriage.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000030 also helped
me because it showed the timeline how marriage equality began all the way up to
the present year.