A wave of lawsuits have been filed in courts around the nation since the Supreme Court in June overturned much of the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s ban on same-sex marriage. The rulings effectively opened the floodgates to what has been a gradual push for marriage equality.
“The more people are winning, the more people are stepping up and wanting to become involved and move forward after,” says Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry. “The more we make it real — the more places gay people share in the freedom to marry — the more people see with their own eyes families helped and no one hurt.”
On Aug. 1, Minnesota and Rhode Island became the 12th and 13th states to allow gay marriage. New Jersey followed suit on Oct. 21, after a judge overturned the state’s ban and Gov. Chris Christie dropped his appeal of the ruling. Illinois became the 15th state (plus Washington D.C.) to approve gay marriage when lawmakers passed a bill on Nov. 5. Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign it into law Nov. 20.
(INTERACTIVE: A Timeline of the Gay Rights Movement)
So who’s next? Here’s TIME’s guide to the states most likely to legalize gay marriage in the months ahead.
Via: TimeContinue Reading.....
