Marriage, Civil Unions, and Domestic Partnerships in the United States

Marriage Equality

• Iowa
• Connecticut
• Massachusetts
• Vermont
• New Hampshire
• District of Columbia

Domestic Partnerships/Civil Unions

These states provide most or some of the protections of marriage.

• New Jersey
• Oregon
• Washington
• Nevada
• California
• Hawaii
• Maryland
• Maine
• Colorado
• Wisconsin

Measures Against the Freedom to Marry

In 1996, the Congress passed and President Clinton signed into law the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which says states are not required to recognize marriages performed in another state. DOMA also defines marriage under federal law as a legal union between one man and one woman.

Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA)

The federal marriage amendment (FMA) would amend the U.S. Constitution to ban the freedom to marry nationwide. Several versions of an FMA were introduced and voted on in Congress between 2004 and 2006, but none came close to receiving the required two-thirds support needed to pass. Federal amendments also would require majority approval in 38 of the states' legislatures to be ratified into the U.S. Constitution.