Same-sex marriage in California climbs in the past decade
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Same-sex marriages climbed across California leading up to and following the Supreme Court's 2015 decision legalizing them nationwide. In fact, about 41% of current same-sex couples got married between 2015 and 2019, a new U.S. Census Bureau report finds.
Why it matters: While same-sex marriage is widely accepted today, some advocates worry marriage equity is vulnerable with the conservative supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court.
State of play: Same-sex marriage has been legal in California since 2013.
- The state had more than 162,000 same-sex couple households as of 2022, per the latest American Community Survey (ACS) data, compared to about 84,300 in 2008.
- There were about 103,200 married same-sex couple households as of 2022, up from roughly 23,400 in 2008.
- Nearly 64% of same-sex couple households were married as of 2022, compared to just under 28% in 2008.
Flashback: California became the second state to allow same-sex nuptials in 2008, but efforts started years earlier.
- In 2004, then-mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom made a splash when he defied California law by calling on local officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
- The California Supreme Court later nullified the marriages, but it kicked off a national conversation and protest movement that ultimately contributed to the Supreme Court decision in 2015.
Zoom in: In 2007, then-San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders unexpectedly shifted his stance to publicly and politically support the cause.
- He opposed Proposition 8 — a constitutional amendment California voters passed in 2008 essentially banning same-sex marriage.
The big picture: Among U.S. states, Delaware (81.4%), New Hampshire (72.3%) and Wyoming (70.7%) have the highest share of same-sex couple households who are married.
- Washington, D.C. (48.2%), Alaska (48.1%) and Tennessee (47.9%) have the lowest.
What we're watching: While Obergefell v. Hodges protected the right to marry at the federal level, lawmakers in many states are still seeking to curtail LGBTQ+ Americans' rights.
- Democratic legislators in California are now trying to enshrine marriage equality in the state constitution.
What's next: On the November ballot, voters will decide whether to remove the state's inactive ban on same-sex marriage that they approved in 2008.