This puts them ahead of at least 13 US states which still have laws on the books preventing equal

marriage for all. In fact, the issues of gay rights, including marriage, have become increasingly

relevant in just the past few years, with multiple countries stepping up to legalize

same-sex marriage. So where is same-sex marriage legal?

Well, currently, marriage between two people of the same sex is officially legal in 18

countries, with legislation enacted in Slovenia, and partial legality in the US and Mexico.

In the US, it is recognized on a federal level, with thirty-six states, plus Washington DC

and Guam allowing legalized gay marriage.

The first country to end marriage discrimination was the Netherlands. It may seem surprising

today, but that legislation wasn’t passed until as recently as the year 2000. In 2003,

Belgium also legalized the practice, but prevented same-sex couples from adopting children until

2006. In 2005, both Spain and Canada followed suit. Spain legalized because of the election

of a progressive, socialist government, that campaigned for the issue. Canada then did

so because more than three quarters of their territories and provinces had already established

marriage as a gender-neutral issue.

In 2006, South Africa’s Constitutional Court ruled that banning same-sex marriage was inherently

unconstitutional, making it the first African country to change their views. In 2009, both

Sweden and Norway, allowed current and future civil unions to be considered “legal marriages”.

In 2010, Portugal, Iceland, and Argentina also made the shift. Most significantly, Iceland

elected an openly gay Prime Minister in 2009.

Since 2013, Brazil, France, Uruguay, New Zealand, the UK, Luxembourg, and Finland have all

passed bills giving same-sex couples the right to marry. With so many countries enacting

equality legislation, the US is definitely falling behind. Despite the overturning of

the controversial “Defense of Marriage Act”, which led to the federal recognition of same-sex

marriage, gay marriage is still not legal in 13 states. It seems as though it is only

a matter of time until advocacy groups get what they've been looking for, gay marriage as a universal human right.

America's pretty divided on the issue of same-sex marriage, but the problems run even deeper.

While other minorities are protected by law from discrimination, the lgbt community is

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