What law was changed when gay marriage was legalized

Estonia Europe The law amended legislation recognizing same-sex civil unions and made Estonia the first Baltic country to legalize same-sex marriage. South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Only African country where same-sex marriage is legal; several countries on the continent have passed laws in recent years that ban homosexuality.

It came into effect in Germany Europe Legislation passed after then-Chancellor Angela Merkel said members of her ruling Christian Democratic Union should vote their conscience even though the party formally opposed same-sex marriage. Sweden Europe Gay and lesbian couples in Sweden previously had been allowed to register for civil unions since Taiwan Asia-Pacific A court ruling prompted a change in the law that made Taiwan the first jurisdiction in Asia to permit gay and lesbian couples to wed.

While gay and lesbian couples can marry, there is not yet a marriage equality law on the books. A landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling 10 years ago on June 26, , legalized same-sex marriage across the U.S. A landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling 10 years ago on June 26, , legalized same-sex marriage across the U.S.

The Obergefell v. The Obergefell v. Table of Contents. Same-sex marriage became legal through a separate process in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, in The law took effect on Jan. The law passed in the National Assembly and received royal assent from King Maha Vajiralongkorn in Parliament in the small mountainous country between France and Spain voted to legalize same-sex marriage.

Hodges ruling held that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, legalizing it nationwide over a decade ago. Separate legislation was enacted in Scotland in Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution guarantees it throughout the country. United Kingdom Europe Legal same-sex marriage took effect in Northern Ireland in , six years after the change in England and Wales.

Belgium Europe Second country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage after its neighbor, the Netherlands. Slovenia Europe First country in formerly communist Eastern Europe to legalize same-sex marriage. Use the interactive table below to sort the places allowing same-sex marriages by name, region and the year legal same-sex marriage took effect.

Netherlands Europe First country to legalize same-sex marriage after its Parliament passed the law in December Norway Europe The law replaced a statute permitting civil unions. The table also includes some key facts about the process in each jurisdiction. June 2, Austria Europe A court ruling in eventually led to the change.

Obergefell originated with a gay couple, Jim Obergefell and John Arthur, who were married in Maryland, where same-sex marriage was legal, but whose marriage was not recognized by Ohio authorities. Denmark Europe Same-sex marriage became legal through a separate process in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, in Ecuador Latin America-Caribbean A court ruling made Ecuador the fifth South American country to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed.

Spain Europe Third country globally to legalize same-sex marriage after a vote in its closely divided Parliament. Greece Europe First majority-Orthodox Christian nation to legalize same-sex marriage. Since the first same-sex marriages were legally recognized in the Netherlands in , nearly 40 other jurisdictions — mostly in Europe and the Americas — have enacted laws allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.

Fact Sheet. Malta Europe Parliament voted almost unanimously to legalize same-sex marriage. Mexico Latin America-Caribbean Same-sex marriage eventually became legal nationally after the Supreme Court declared state bans unconstitutional in In , the federal government directed all local governments to register same-sex marriages.

This year, Thailand and Liechtenstein join the list.