America erupted in joyous celebrations on Friday after the Supreme Court in a pathbreaking decision ruled that it is now legal for all Americans, no matter what their sexual orientation is, to marry the people they love.
The decision is a historic victory for gay rights activists who have fought for years in the lower courts. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia already recognize marriage equality. The remaining 13 states ban these unions, even as public support has reached record levels nationwide.
The court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution's guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law mean that states cannot ban same-sex marriages. With the landmark ruling, gay marriage becomes legal in all 50 states.
President Barack Obama, appearing in the White House Rose Garden, hailed the ruling as a milestone in American justice that arrived "like a thunderbolt."
Read: Supreme Court Legalizes Gay Marriage Nationwide
"This ruling is a victory for America," said Obama, the first sitting president to support gay marriage. "This decision affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts. When all Americans are treated as equal, we are all more free."
Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing on behalf of the court, said the hope of gay people intending to marry "is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."
"Without the recognition, stability and predictability marriage offers, their children suffer the stigma of knowing their families are somehow lesser," Kennedy wrote.
What are other countries where gay marriage is legal?
Nearly two dozen countries around the world have national laws supporting marriage equality. In Mexico, some jurisdictions allow same-sex couples to wed, while others do not, according to a January 2015 report of the Pew Research Center.
Here is a list:
![pew]()
United States - 2015
Ireland - 2015
Finland - 2015
Luxembourg - 2014
Scotland - 2014
England - 2013
Wales - 2013
(The law only applies to England and Wales because Scotland and Northern Ireland are semi-autonomous and have separate legislative bodies to decide domestic issues, according to Pew.)
Brazil - 2013
France - 2013
New Zealand - 2013
Uruguay - 2013
Denmark - 2012
Argentina - 2010
Portugal - 2010
Iceland - 2010
Sweden - 2009
Norway - 2009
South Africa - 2006
Spain - 2005
Canada - 2005
Belgium - 2003
The Netherlands - 2000
Countries Where Gay Marriage is Legal in Some Jurisdictions:
Mexico - 2009
Read the court's opinion here:
(With inputs from Reuters)
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The decision is a historic victory for gay rights activists who have fought for years in the lower courts. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia already recognize marriage equality. The remaining 13 states ban these unions, even as public support has reached record levels nationwide.
The court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution's guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law mean that states cannot ban same-sex marriages. With the landmark ruling, gay marriage becomes legal in all 50 states.
President Barack Obama, appearing in the White House Rose Garden, hailed the ruling as a milestone in American justice that arrived "like a thunderbolt."
Read: Supreme Court Legalizes Gay Marriage Nationwide
Watch the President's full statement on the Supreme Court's ruling on marriage equality. #LoveWins http://t.co/nRBI49pQT5
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 26, 2015"This ruling is a victory for America," said Obama, the first sitting president to support gay marriage. "This decision affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts. When all Americans are treated as equal, we are all more free."
Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing on behalf of the court, said the hope of gay people intending to marry "is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."
"Without the recognition, stability and predictability marriage offers, their children suffer the stigma of knowing their families are somehow lesser," Kennedy wrote.
What are other countries where gay marriage is legal?
Nearly two dozen countries around the world have national laws supporting marriage equality. In Mexico, some jurisdictions allow same-sex couples to wed, while others do not, according to a January 2015 report of the Pew Research Center.
Here is a list:
United States - 2015
Ireland - 2015
Finland - 2015
Luxembourg - 2014
Scotland - 2014
England - 2013
Wales - 2013
(The law only applies to England and Wales because Scotland and Northern Ireland are semi-autonomous and have separate legislative bodies to decide domestic issues, according to Pew.)
Brazil - 2013
France - 2013
New Zealand - 2013
Uruguay - 2013
Denmark - 2012
Argentina - 2010
Portugal - 2010
Iceland - 2010
Sweden - 2009
Norway - 2009
South Africa - 2006
Spain - 2005
Canada - 2005
Belgium - 2003
The Netherlands - 2000
Countries Where Gay Marriage is Legal in Some Jurisdictions:
Mexico - 2009
Read the court's opinion here:
(With inputs from Reuters)
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