Today GLAAD joins all of our partners and millions of Americans celebrating 20 years since the first legal marriages for same-sex couples. The first marriages took place on this day 20 years ago in Massachusetts following a long fight in both the state legislature and the courts, marking a milestone for LGBTQ activists who worked for decades to ensure equal legal recognition, protections, and respect for same-sex relationships.
The victory for marriage can’t be attributed to one person or institution, but was secured by a combination of grassroots state equality groups advocating for their residents, national LGBTQ and civil rights organizations pushing forward a strategic roadmap to increase public support and understanding, legal experts and counsel who saw a path forward in the courts, and most of all, everyday Americans who bravely shared their stories about why marriage matters to them. This week, media coverage from the Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, CNN, TIME, and multiple other outlets summarize the positive ways the freedom to marry changed America for the better and led to greater visibility and acceptance for LGBTQ people.
Following the win in Massachusetts, other states followed in the same direction, most notably after groundbreaking campaigns in places across the country like New Jersey, Illinois, Washington, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, and more. Momentum for the nationwide fight for the full freedom to marry continued in 2012 when the Supreme Court struck down the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which had passed in 1996 and banned federal recognition of marriages between same-sex couples. On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court secured the full freedom to marry in Obergefell v. Hodges, making marriage the law of the land for all Americans.
Opponents of LGBTQ equality often tried to claim that legalizing marriage for same-sex couples would lead to a retreat from marriage as an institution at large in America, cause harm to children, or cause a negative change in school curriculums. (The same institutions and individuals who opposed marriage use the same tired tactics today to try to make arguments against transgender rights.) Yet a new report published just this week is unambiguous: the freedom to marry did not result in a retreat from marriage or harm the general population in any way. In fact, it resulted in myriad positive effects for same-sex couples, their children, and society at large.
The report, 20 Years of Legal Marriage for Same-Sex Couples in the U.S., is co-authored by Brad Sears and Christy Mallory from The Williams Institute of UCLA and can be found here: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2912-1.html. It contains groundbreaking analysis on the countless benefits of the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, as well as no negative impact on different-sex couples and wider society. This reiterates research studies conducted long before marriage equality was legalized, which show that the children of same-sex couples fare just as well as, if not better than and outperforming, the children of different-sex couples, particularly in educational settings. Those findings about the positive parenting outcomes of same-sex couples have been consistent in studies published as recently as last year.
The fight continues for equality for all, but today we celebrate 20 years of marriage equality — a milestone that many LGBTQ people never thought they’d see in their lifetimes. HAPPY 20th ANNIVERSARY to so many families who are building their lives and thriving thanks in part to their love and commitment, and, of course, the freedom to marry; and to the millions of Americans who made this victory happen!
