Politicsmarriage equalityPoliticssupreme court gay marriage

60 Percent Of Americans Soon Will Live In States With Marriage Equality

60 Percent Of Americans Soon Will Live In States With Marriage Equality
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Senior Politics Editor, HuffPost

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Washington Bureau Chief, HuffPost

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WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Monday set the United States on a historic civil rights path, paving the way for the majority of Americans to reside in states where same-sex marriage is legal.

The court declined to hear appeals from five states that were challenging lower-court rulings legalizing same-sex marriage. By passing on that debate, the court gave a final legal stamp of approval to marriage equality in five states: Indiana, Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia and Wisconsin. It also set the stage for legalization in six other states that also fall under the lower courts' jurisdiction: Colorado, Wyoming, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

When all is said and done in those states (which could happen in short order, according to the Associated Press), same-sex marriage will be legal in 30 states and the District of Columbia.

The total population of those states, based on 2013 estimates from the Census Bureau, is about 190 million. Just over 60 percent of the U.S. population now lives in a state where marriage equality soon will be legal.

Prior to Monday, that total was just under 44 percent -- if you discounted states where same-sex marriage was legalized but there were still court challenges. In all, the Supreme Court's decision on Monday set the path for an additional 51,579,771 people to live in states with concrete same-sex marriage rights.

Breaking the 50 percent threshold represents a monumental achievement for the gay rights community -- one that few could have envisioned just years ago. But it's a touch bittersweet for advocates who will note that 48 percent of the population remains in areas where same-sex marriage is banned, and who were hoping the court would weigh in on whether marriage for same-sex couples is a constitutional right.

"[W]e are one country, with one Constitution, and the Court’s delay in affirming the freedom to marry nationwide prolongs the patchwork of state-to-state discrimination and the harms and indignity that the denial of marriage still inflicts on too many couples in too many places," said Freedom to Marry President Evan Wolfson. "As waves of freedom to marry litigation continue to surge, we will continue to press the urgency and make the case that America -- all of America -- is ready for the freedom to marry, and the Supreme Court should finish the job."

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Before You Go

Gay Marriage In The United States
New York(01 of17)
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New York lawmakers legalized same-sex marriage on July 24, 2011, making it the largest state at the time to pass such legislation. (credit:Flickr: alh1)
Maryland(02 of17)
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Voters in Maryland approved marriage equality in the November 2012 election.Initially, the gay marriage bill was signed into law by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) on March 1, 2012, but opponents gathered enough signatures to force the issue back onto the ballot. With the passing of marriage equality, same-sex marriage ceremonies began on Jan. 1, 2013. (credit:AP)
Iowa(03 of17)
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Iowa's Supreme Court ruled the state's gay marriage ban unconstitutional on April 3, 2009. (credit:Getty)
Maine(04 of17)
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Maine made history in the November 2012 election when it became the first state to pass marriage equality on the ballot. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said, "Voters in Maine came to the common-sense conclusion that all people deserve the ability to make loving, lifelong commitments through marriage."Just three years ago, a popular vote overturned legislation that would have legalized same-sex marriage in the state. (credit:AP)
Massachusetts(05 of17)
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Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage on May 17, 2004. The state's Supreme Court initially found the ban on gay marriage unconstitutional on Nov. 18, 2003. (credit:AP)
New Hampshire(06 of17)
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Same-sex couples were able to begin seeking marriage licenses on Jan. 1, 2010. (credit:Flickr: jimbowen0306)
Vermont(07 of17)
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Vermont, which invented civil unions, became the first state to legalize gay marriage through a legislature's vote -- overriding the governor's veto. Same-sex couples were able to begin marrying on Sept, 1, 2009. (credit:Flickr: Tony Fischer Photography)
Washington D.C.(08 of17)
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Gay couples were able to begin marrying in the nation's capital on March 9, 2010. (credit:Flickr: Vox Efx)
California(09 of17)
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The state initially began conducting gay marriages on June 16, 2008. On November 5, 2008, however, California voters passed Proposition 8, which amended the state's constitution to declare marriage as only between a man and a woman.On June 26, 2013, by a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court justices held in Hollingsworth v. Perry that the traditional marriage activists who put Proposition 8 on California ballots in 2008 did not have the constitutional authority, or standing, to defend the law in federal courts after the state refused to appeal its loss at trial, opening the door for marriages to resume in the state. (credit:AP)
Washington(10 of17)
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On February 13, 2012, Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) signed a law allowing same-sex marriage ceremonies to begin on June 7, 2012. The process was delayed by gay marriage opponents who gathered enough signatures to put the issue up to a state vote in November 2012.Gay marriage passed on November 7, 2012. The official determination for Washington did not come until one day after the election because of the state's mail-in voting system. (credit:AP)
Rhode Island(11 of17)
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Gay marriage came to Rhode Island when Governor Lincoln Chafee signed the marriage equality bill into law on May 2, 2013. (credit:AP)
Delaware(12 of17)
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Delaware obtained gay marriage when Governor Jack Markell signed the marriage equality bill it into law on May 7, 2013. (credit:Getty)
Minnesota(13 of17)
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Minnesota same-sex couples achieved marriage equality when Gov. Mark Dayton signed the legislation into law on May 14, 2013. (credit:AP)
New Jersey(14 of17)
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Newark Mayor Cory Booker began marrying same-sex couples at City Hall at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 21, 2013. (credit:AP)
Hawaii(15 of17)
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Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed same-sex marriage into law on Nov. 13, 2013, making it the 15th state to pass such legislation.
Illinois(16 of17)
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Illinois became the 16th state to legalize gay marriage, with the House having passed the bill on Nov. 5. and Gov. Pat Quinn signing the legislation on Nov. 20. (credit:AP)
New Mexico(17 of17)
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On Dec. 19, the New Mexico Supreme Court unanimously ruled that same-sex marriage rights are protected under the Constitution. (credit:Robert Alexander via Getty Images)
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