Supreme Court to take up same
7 – The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rules in Perry v. Schwarzenegger that California's Proposition 8, which restricts marriage to mixed-sex couples, is unconstitutional. July 16, On May 9, , the world watched as President Barack Obama, in a historic and deeply personal statement, announced his support for same-sex marriage. 2012 in LGBTQ rights
On the same day, Nov. 6, , voters in Minnesota rejected an attempt to add language to the state’s constitution banning gay marriage. Same-sex marriage is now, or soon will be, legal in the District of Columbia and nine states: Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington. In the Western Hemisphere continued to make headlines in terms of LGBT lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights. An openly lesbian woman entered the cabinet in Ecuador, and another was elected to the U. 2012 US President Obama States He Supports Gay Marriage
timeline of major events in LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) rights history, including homosexuality, gay marriage, gay adoption, serving in the military, sexual orientation discrimination protection, changing legal gender, donating blood, age of consent, and more. On Dec. For more details, see Same-Sex Marriage in the Courts. The 2012 Gay Year in Review
The following is a comprehensive collection of rulings involving same-sex marriage across the federal courts from to Cases that were filed in the federal courts but had no ruling are not depicted on this page. The Supreme Court agreed Friday to take up the explosive issue of same-sex marriage, thrusting itself into a policy debate that has divided federal and state governments and courts, as well as voters in nearly 40 states. The high court's long-awaited decisions to hear challenges to the federal Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage move the issue to the top of the national agenda following a year in which advocates scored major legal and political victories. 
U.S. News
By the end of , same-sex marriage was legal in nine states and the District of Columbia. Gay rights groups believed that all the victories in were a sign that overall public opinion was shifting. More information on same-sex marriage and the Gay Rights Movement: U.S. Policies on Same-Sex Marriage What Is a Civil Union?. Articles about the production of food and other goods, including farming and fishing. Articles about crime rates, law enforcement, and public safety.
2012 in LGBT Rights History
For more than a decade, the battle over same-sex marriage and other rights for gay couples has been hard fought in U.S. courts and legislatures and at the ballot box. Use this map to view milestones in the fight and to explore how state laws have changed since On June 26, , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry nationwide. . 
Timeline
1 – Majorities side with minorities. United States. For the first time in the Americas, gay rights advanced by way of popular vote. In the November 6 general elections, majorities in three states approved legalizing same-sex marriage and a constitutional ban was voted down in a fourth state. In addition, the first openly gay senator was elected. .
Overview of Same
Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriage in California and Connecticut legalized gay marriage in , followed by Iowa, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Legalization came through state courts, the enactment of state legislation, or the result of the decisions of federal courts until .