Gay Marriage in the United States Research Paper

Gay Marriage in the United States - Research Paper Example In addition, the paper shall provide the recent opinion polls on the subject and scrutinize the findings. Gay marriage in the United has hit debates with a lot of controversies on the subject. The United States comprises of approximately 50 states. Six states in the United States allow marriage between same sexes. The states include; Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, Lowa, and New Hampshire. Thirty nine states have banned gay marriage. Five states; Hawaii, Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Illinois have approved the civil unions of gay marriage. In addition, some states that legalized gay marriage enacted the Civil Union laws (Graff, 1999, p.175). Vermont received the first civil Union in the year 2000. The supreme court of the state passed a ruling requiring the state to recognize couples of the same sex. The matter would be left to the legislature to legalize forms of relationship including gay marriage. The legislature, receiving force from then Governor, select ed the civil unions against marriage as a measure that could be compromising. On July 1, 2000, the act took effect. The Civil Unions’ bill became effective in September 2009. Connecticut legislature legalized civil unions in the year 2005 devoid of the court order. The effect of the law took place in October 2008, designated by the Connecticut governor. The Supreme Court of Connecticut favored the ruling in the year 2008. In the year 2010, on 12th November, all the civil unions automatically became marriages. The New Jersey state legalized the civil unions through Its Supreme Court ruling. The ruling required both same-sex and opposite-sex couples to receive similar benefits. The Act of the Civil Union took effect on 19th February the year 2007. Although, the gay rights groups stated their dissatisfaction in the law, they undertook measures to enhance same-sex marriage. Illinois house passed a bill of the Civil Union on 30th November the year 2010. On 1st December, 2010, the senate of Illinois approved the bill. Pat Quinn, the governor signed the law on 31st January, 2011. The law became effective on 1st June 2011. The house of New Hampshire passed the Civil Union bill on 4th April 2007. The bill gave equal rights to both the heterosexual and homosexual couples. The senate of the New Hampshire approved the bill of the Civil Union on 26th April 2006. Governor Lynch signed the law on 31st May 2007. The state embraced same-sex unions with no court order. The law of the Civil Union took effect on 1st January 2008. The state of Hawaii in the United States has presented reciprocal beneficiary registration for adults prohibited from marrying by the state law. This has been effective since the year 1997. Both different-sex and same-sex couples have access to benefits and a limited number of rights. These rights include workers compensation, inheritance rights, health insurance, pension, and the right to litigate for wrongful death. On 23rd February 2011, the Go vernor, Neil, signed a bill sanctioning Civil Unions. The law became effective on 1st January 2012. On April 14, 2011, Delaware House passed the legislation legalizing Civil Unions for gay marriage. The governor designated the bill and it took effect on 1st January, 2012. Rhode Island passed the Civil Unions bill on 1st July 2011. Since the year 1997, the subject of gay marriage in the United States strike debates where the state legislators have formulated decisions. The debates over