In June 2015, the United States made history when the Supreme Court ruled that laws against gay marriage were unconstitutional, making it legal in every state.
But how did it play out? While the fight has been going on for decades, this infographic looks at milestones over the last decade.
In 2004, former president Barack Obama spoke out against gay marriage. Massachusetts granted the nation’s first marriage licenses that year. Two years later, he recanted and shared his support for gay marriage.
Rachel Maddow became the first openly gay anchor of a primetime news program in 2008. A year later, RuPaul’s Drag Race premiered on television. LGBTQ+ people were starting to get more representation in media.
In 2010, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was repealed. The law forbade service members from sharing their sexual orientation. Two years later, vice president Joe Biden endorsed gay marriage and an openly gay woman was elected to the Senate. The stage was set for gay marriage to become legal around the country.
It happened on June 26, 2015 when the court ruled on Obergefell v. Hodges. The Supreme Court made gay marriage legal in all 50 states with its ruling, making history. June happens to mark LGBT Pride month.
While we’ve covered the history of same-sex marriage in the U.S., we also have a post sharing the history of gay marriage in the UK. Check it out here.