States with the freedom to marry do not ban same-sex couples from entering into legal marriages. Some states also offer comprehensive relationship recognition, such as domestic partnerships or civil unions, to same- and opposite-sex couples. Laws allowing same-sex couples to marry can also benefit bisexual and transgender people in same-sex relationships.
Marriage equality for same-sex couples (50 states + D.C.)
Comprehensive civil union or domestic partnership law (6 states + D.C.)
State has targeted religious exemption law (see note)
NOTE: Kansas permits faith-based organizations to deny services to married same-sex couples. North Carolina permits state officials to decline to marry couples of whose marriage they disapprove. For additional information, contact Freedom to Marry, Lambda Legal, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders or ACLU LGBT Rights Project.
Additionally, several Native American jurisdictions extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. These jurisdictions are federally recognized sovereign nations and therefore can create their own policies around same-sex partnerships. The following is a list of Native American nations that have legalized same-sex marriage followed by the year in which the ruling was made. Several nations passed laws to offer the freedom to marry, whereas others have issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples based on a reinterpretation of tribal codes. For more information please see: NativeOut
The Coquille Tribe in Oregon (2009)
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe in Connecticut (2010)
The Suquamish Tribe in Washington (2011)
The Tribal Council of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians in Michigan (2013)
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians in Michigan (2013)
The Santa Ysabel Tribe in California (2013)
The Colville Tribal Council of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Nation in Washington (2013)
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in Oklahoma (2013)
The Leech Lake Tribal Court in Minnesota (2013)
The Puyallup Tribe in Washington (2014)
Tlingit and Haida Tribes in Alaska (2015)
The Oneida Tribe in Wisconsin (2015)
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community in Michigan (2015)
Percent of LGBT Population Covered by Laws
100% of LGBT population lives in states with marriage equality for same-sex couples
13% of LGBT population lives in states with comprehensive civil union or domestic partnership laws