Hot Spots

Welcome to the Hot Spots page! In this section we're going to talk about some of the hot spots as far as same-sex marriage is concerned. We are going to focus on the six states that currently allow same-sex marriage and Washington, D.C., which does as well. We will also look at Maine which currently doesn't allow same-sex marriage, but where the topic has been heating up as of late. If you're looking for information on California, go ahead and look at the Proposition 8 page.

Currently the six states in the United States which legally allow same-sex marriage are: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. Washington, D.C. also allows same-sex marriage.

Also, certain Native American tribes allow same-sex marriage. Two of the tribes are the Oregon Coquille tribe and the Washington State Suquamish tribe.

Other tidbits of information-
- 29 States prohibit same-sex marriage because of the state's constitution.
- 12 States prohibit same-sex marriage because of passed legislation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/us/politics/28doma.html?_r=1
-Although Maryland, Rhode Island, and New Mexico don't grant same-sex marriage licenses, they do recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
http://www.freedomtomarry.org/states/
- Various states in the U.S. recognize civil unions or domestic partnerships including: California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

A Civil Union is: A relationship between a same-sex couple that is legally recognized by a state authority and has the rights and responsibilities of marriage.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/civil+union

A Domestic Partnership is: A member of an unmarried, cohabiting, and especially homosexual couple that seeks benefits usually available only to spouses.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/domestic+partnership

http://www.caglecartoons.com/viewimage.asp?ID={81D90AA1-CF28-4725-9FB8-9048AA7C69D7}

Conclusion: After looking at the hot spots for same-sex marriage across the United States there are a few things that  stand out.
1- Since 2008 things have really started to take off as far as same-sex marriages are concerned. Of the 7 locations that we talked about in this section, only Massachusetts started allowing same-sex marriages before 2008.
2- In almost every occasion the states granted the right to same-sex marriage after it was ruled by a court that the same rights heterosexual couple's have should also be granted to same-sex couples. Maybe this will set a pattern for the rest of country.
3- Except for Washington, D.C., the rest of the states that currently allow same-sex marriage are in the Northeast.
4- The battle is by no means over. As we saw with California, and then with Maine, allowing same-sex marriage is not an easy obstacle to overcome.
5- Although most states don't allow same-sex marriage, more and more are starting to allow civil unions and domestic partnerships.
6- The same-sex marriage debate is ever-growing and will continue to grow in the future. It's going to be interesting to see where things are 20 years from now.
7- It was interesting to see that the cartoons that are on these hot spot pages are very pro same-sex marriage, while in general we found them to be quite evenly divided.