07/09/2009 - On Nov. 18, 2003, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage following a ruling by the state's highest court. In the years since the Massachusetts decision, five additional states have legalized gay marriage, and 29 states have amended their constitutions to ban gay marriage.
View the State Policies on Same-Sex Marriage maps on the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life's Web site.