In Vermont,
gay marriage is currently legal. In fact, Vermont was the first state to
legally recognize civil unions and they did so without a court ruling in 2000.
In Vermont, gay marriages and civil unions are both afforded the same rights as
marriage. In 1999, the state Supreme Court ruled that the right to marry, was an
entitlement offered to all individuals, regardless of gender. 

In Virginia,
marriage is strictly defined as a union between one man and one woman.There is
no legal recognition of gay marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships in
Virginia. Marriage attorneys are set to challenge the constitutionality of the
the state’s legal definition of marriage in Virginia. 

Currently,
Washington state offers no legal recognition for gay marriage. The state
enacted the Defense of Marriage  in 1998 and the act was upheld by the
courts. In fact, the State’s Supreme Court decided that the state did indeed,
have the power to limit marriage to opposite sex couples. Yet, the language of
the law only forbid same sex marriage, not recognition of other same sex
relationships in Washington. 

West Virginia marriage laws only allow for one man and one woman to enter into marriage. In, West Virginia marriage was clearly defined with the enactment of the Defense of Marriage act. However, a bill that would have amended the constitution to ban same sex marriage, was voted down in 2009. In fact the amendment was reintroduced and voted down again. Yet, there are no laws preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

In West Virginia, marriage laws are the only laws that currently apply to the LGBT community. They are prevented form getting married, but unable to legally protect themselves from discrimination. Perhaps, discrimination laws would be utilized to fight the ban on gay marriage and that is why there are none in place.

West Virginia law on marriage explicitly forbid the legal recognition of same sex marriage. However, the state's constitution is without an amendment that bans gay marriage. In fact, a proposed amendment that would ban gay marriage, was voted down twice. 

Law makers have claimed that there are much more pressing issues that should be dealt with before they decide on the legality of gay marriage in West Virginia. Marriage is already defined by the Defense of Marriage Act and lawmakers feel that it deserves no further protection.

Conversely, there are no legal protections against discrimination in the LGBT community. However, the state's laws regarding domestic violence, protect all couples, regardless of gender in West Virginia. Marriage laws however, do not allow for any legal recognition for same sex couples. In fact, same sex couples are not entitled to any of the rights, benefits or responsibilities afforded to married couples in West Virginia. 

Marriage is seen as a unique relationship, that is entitled to special rights and protections, that are not afforded to any other relationship, same sex or otherwise. However,many law makers in West Virginia, believe that banning gay marriage in the constitution, would be akin to making discrimination legal. Therefore, there does not seem to be a rush to ban gay marriage in West Virginia. 

Marriage should not be banned for the LGBT community because it is a form of discrimination by preventing equal access to the benefits of marriage. Perhaps, that is why the state offers no legal protection form discrimination in West Virginia. Marriage laws should be changed to offer some legal recognition for same sex couples, so that they can enjoy equal rights.

Currently, Wisconsin marriage laws forbid the legal recognition of same sex marriages. However, the state has not yet enacted the Defense of Marriage Act. Yet statutes define marriage as a union between a man and a woman in Wisconsin. Marriage was defined in early statues and in a constitutional amendment in 2006. 

However, as of August 2009,  domestic partnerships are legally allowed in Wisconsin. Marriage laws prevent domestic partners from having the designation of marriage, but they are entitled to the rights of marriage in Wisconsin. Marriage rights are granted equally to couples in the state. In fact, the state also allows for a legal termination of a domestic partnerships in the same way that it allows for divorce.

Domestic partners are entitled to all of the rights and responsibilities, normally reserved for marriage. In fact, domestic partners are covered under the state's family leave act. In many states, same sex couples are not afforded the right to take leave from work in order to care for each other. However, Wisconsin law on marriage mirror the laws that domestic partnerships abide by, and therefore, partners can take paid leave from work. 

In addition, domestic partners are entitled to shared property and assets, as well as the right to inherit said property, in the absence of a will in Wisconsin. Marriages and Domestic partnerships also entitle partners to visit each other in the hospital and in prison. Domestic partners can also be entitled to make any medical decisions regarding their partner in Wisconsin.

Marriage laws generally reserve those rights for spouses and relatives in other states.  This can be an important designation, because without the domestic partnership, there would be no recognition of the relationship and partners would not be considered family. 

In addition, domestic partners are able to dissolve the relationship in the same way that a divorce takes place. In order to dissolve the relationship, couples must get certification from the state that says the relationship has ended. In Wisconsin, marriage and domestic partnerships, receive equal legal consideration.

In 1982, Wisconsin became the first state to forbid discrimination based on sexual orientation. In fact, it would be almost a decade before any other state took such action and almost thirty years before a federal law addressed the issue.In addition, Wisconsin marriage laws did not explicitly forbid legal recognition of same sex relationships. 

Therefore, domestic partnerships became legally recognized, providing equal access to the rights normally reserved for marriage. By allowing domestic partnerships, Wisconsin marriage laws avoid discriminating against individuals based on their sexual orientation.

North Dakota gay marriage is banned. DOMA is the name of the law that prevents North Dakota gay couples from marrying or creating any type of civil union. Clearly North Dakota’s gay population is not treated well, especially compared to more liberal states in the country. 

In addition to DOMA, in 2004 a state constitutional amendment was passed that banned all gay marriages and unions in North Dakota. There is not much hope at all for North Dakota gay couples to live in the state as a union or marriage in the future, as the state will not recognize anything of the sort. North Dakota marriage laws give off an unwelcome feeling towards gays and even people who support gays.

In addition to North Carolina gay marriage laws, the state also discriminates against hopeful gay couples looking to become parents. The state and it’s adoption agencies are another group of people who use religion as an excuse for not allowing gay couples to raise a child. They are legally allowed to discriminate against gay couples. The North Dakota gay community is not a large or vocal one.

North Dakota marriage laws will not support same-sex couples and most likely the poor couples who would love nothing more than to change the North Carolina Marriage laws and show everyone that they are not out to hurt anyone’s way of life. North Dakota marriages will remain strictly between people of opposite sexes as there is no legislation allowing for change. 

With the support of the federal government North Dakota marriage laws are under no pressure to change. While some look at North Dakota as old fashioned it is the United States’ own federal government that can not even realize that there are more than enough people that support change and people’s right to love and marry who they want.  

Oklahoma gay marriage has been banned from the state. The citizens of Oklahoma believe they are protecting the integrity of Oklahoma marriage. The people there appear to be against gay marriage and gay civil-unions that they are trying to make the DOMA law a federal law. Some Oklahoma gays have fought against the Oklahoma law on marraige in court. They explain how they have been together for years and were even married in Canada. 

They just want to be treated like every other couple but there are too many people who do not think their relationship is worthy of an Oklahoma marriage. The couple does not want to leave Oklahoma because it has been their home for the last 12 years and they love almost everything about it, except one thing, they are not accepted as a couple. They need and rely on the state benefits just like straight couples, but do not get a chance to receive them because too many voters are out to get them for no reason aside from the fact that they do not support Oklahoma gays.

From an outsiders perspective, views on Oklahoma marriage regarding Oklahoma gays could be viewed as hate for all gay people. Even the federal government is in the cross hairs of anti-gay marriage advocates. A nation wide ban on gay marriage would devastate millions of Americans and it would be done for no good reason except discrimination.

Oklahoma marriage is not the only thing under fire. There is no chance for Oklahoma gay couples to adopt a child who needs a loving family because of the anti-gay parenting act. The anti-gay parenting act is another attack at those gays who are trying to build a family but there are too many people creating road blocks. If the whole country followed the ways of Oklahoma regarding gay Oklahoma marriage then the world would be moving back in time. 

If Oklahoma somehow got the federal government to pass the act banning gay unions and gay adoptions everywhere it would be like segregation and old Jim Crow laws coming back into everyday life. Gays and their supporters will have to do their best to make sure Oklahoma changed it's ways and and starts to become progressive.

Although almost half of Michigan’s
residents support the idea of allowing full marital rights and benefits for Michigan
gay, lesbian, and transgender couples, Michigan marriage unions between
same-sex relationships are still heavily banned within the state of Michigan.
Gay partnerships were dealt a very disappointing verdict in 2004, when nearly
60% of voters approved the Michigan State Proposal- 04-02, which legally
prohibits same-sex Michigan marriages and civil unions, as well as domestic
partnership benefits. 

Although the Michigan gay community and Michigan gay
marriage supporters are persistently lobbying for this ban to be lifted, or, at
least, for limited homosexual
partnership rights, the conservative politics of the state are awfully strong
in their belief that Michigan marriage unions are intended for heterosexual
couples only. It was only in 2003, after all, that the U.S. Supreme Court
struck down Michigan’s sodomy laws, which criminalized same-sex sexual acts in
general.

Progress towards equal rights is slow, but surely, on the
horizon. On June 13, 2009, during a gay and lesbian rights rally, Democrat Pam
Byrnes, Michigan’s House Speaker, said that she had brought forth certain
measures that would help in the eventual change of the current Michigan
marriage laws. “I think we definitely see a change in attitude and it’s
time to revisit this,” she said.

The “measures” Byrne was referring to was the following set of bills:

        
 A
repeal of of the Constitutional amendment, which will require a two-thirds vote
of both chambers of the legislature

        
 A
bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Michigan

        
A
bill to remove state law restrictions which prevent Michigan from recognizing
same-sex marriages performed in another state

Although the proposal does indeed show that there is some effort being made to
change the current Michigan marriage laws, a two-thirds majority in the
Republican-controlled Senate proves to be a very serious setback in bringing
these measures to voters.

On March 11, 2010, a school board in the town of Fulton, Mississippi, announced that its upcoming high school prom would have to be canceled. The cause for concern? The notice came shortly after a gay student challenged a school policy and requested to bring her girlfriend to the event, naturally, as her date. She also wanted to wear a tuxedo, which was also against school policy. This seemingly minor decision, however, should give onlookers a general idea of where the state majority stands on Mississippi gay rights, and more specifically, on the same-sex Mississippi marriage debate.

In Mississippi, marriage for same-sex partnerships was officially banned in a constitutional amendment on November 2, 2004. Mississippi was joined by ten other predominantly conservative Midwestern states that day, and any hopes that the Mississippi gay community had for same-sex partnership rights, quickly came to a standstill when the bill was passed, as predicted, by a shocking 86% majority vote.

The decision came just a few months after the state of Massachusetts made history by being the first in the nation to allow gay, lesbian, and transgender couples to legally marry and receive marital rights. Although Mississippi already had an anti-gay marriage statute enacted almost a decade beforehand in 1997, conservatives wanted the institution of Mississippi marriage to be defined as a strictly heterosexual institution yet again, and they wanted it clearly stated, this time around, in their constitution. Although the amendment does not necessarily ban civil unions, or any other legal protections for that matter, a Mississippi marriage for same-sex couples is temporarily out of the question.

Despite the hardships that the Mississippi gay community is forced to face for the present time, there is at least some rights given to the homosexual residents of the state by allowing Mississippi gay singles to adopt a child within its borders. Adoption by Mississippi gay couples, however, is still not permitted. If you need legal advice and assistance, contact Mississippi lawyers.