California has over 162,000 same-sex couple households
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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.
State of play: Same-sex marriage has been legal in California since 2013.
- There were over 162,000 same-sex couple households in California as of 2022, per the latest American Community Survey (ACS) data, compared to about 84,300 in 2008.
- There were around 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: In 2004, then-Mayor Gavin Newsom made a splash when he defied California law by calling on local officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
- The monthlong "Winter of Love" led to more than 4,000 LGBTQ marriages in San Francisco.
- 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.
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, including Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley), are now trying to enshrine marriage equality in the state Constitution.
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.