Millionth Gay Marriage in the US
January 24, 2025 - On Saturday, Jane Wilson and Darla Schwartz will get married in front of their 28 guests at a church in their hometown Stockton, California. Their wedding will however attract some extra attention, since it will be the one-millionth gay marriage in the US.
Same-sex marriages were first allowed in the state of Massachusetts already in 2004, but since the marriages did not get federal recognition, the happy couples were not entitled to the federal benefits. But since the bill passed seven years ago with the federal support of gay marriages, they have the same rights as any other marriage couple.
Currently there are 20 states that recognize same-sex marriages, where about 140,000 wedding certificates were filed last year. Another 12 states allow civil unions, of which some most likely will accept marriages in the near future. The statistics is not that precise to know exactly where the millionth gay marriage will take place so Jane and Darla's wedding is more a symbolic choice based on estimations by gay organizations.
Jane and Darla have been seeing each other for five months and are looking forward to the Saturday wedding to be followed by a couple of weeks off to Hawaii. "It was meant to be a nice little wedding with our closest friends but of course we are happy to be a part of the progress of gay rights", says Darla.
Jane contributed to the gay marriage statistics four years ago in a relationship that ended in a divorce 18 months later. "This time I feel that is so right, Darla is the one I want to share my future with", she says smiling.
Argument: The number one million is based on a federal approval of same-sex marriages with federal benefits by 2018, the gay marriage rate of Massachusetts, and other relevant data.
Questions: What affects will gay marriages in general have on society? Will an approval of gay marriages make way for the gay population in general and in what way?
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