Where in the world is Gay Marriage and Civil Union

Legal?

A Presentation by: Sarah Edelstein, DP Bullington, Amelia Wilson, Jake

Barnes, and Sadie Sutphin

Blue = Darker blue regions provide a greater degree of recognition ranging from marriages to civil unionsGrey = No recognition of same-sex couples

Red = Punishment against same-sex couples including death penalty in the darkest regions

How this relates to the Declaration of Human

RightsArticle 1: all human beings are born free and equal Article 16 part 1: men and women (doesn't specify gay or straight) have the right to marry and to found a family

Examples Of Legal Civil Union And Gay Marraige

• In 1989, today, Denmark became the first to recognize same-sex union. They called the union a "registered partnership".

• On January 1st, 2010, New

Hampshire will officially legalize gay marriage, becoming the sixth state to do so.

Local Issues

- Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, and Vermont currently permit same-sex marriages. - Maine is putting the issue on the ballot for November because of a people's veto. - New Hampshire will permit same-sex marriages starting January 1, 2010. - New York and Washington, D.C. recognize same-sex marriages from other states or countries but do not perform their own.

Local Issues, Cont'd...Proposition 8 - Proposition 8 was a California ballot proposition passed in the 2008 general election. The California Constitution now states "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." - The case has been taken to the California Court but has not been brought to the Supreme Court.