Ten Years Since US Supreme Court Passed Marriage Equality

June 26 marks ten years since the US Supreme Court announced a ruling in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, with same-sex couples finally winning the right to marriage equality in all 50 states.

A majority of the judges ruled that bans of same-sex marriage on a state level violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. The ruling was the culmination of decades of LGBTQIA+ activism, and a landmark decision that marked a significant milestone in the history of gay liberation.

Today, there are 823,000 married same-sex couples living in America, with about 600,000 of those pairs saying “I do” post-Obergefell, according to research earlier in the year from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. Around 300,000 of those couples are raising children.

Same-sex marriage was about more than just love. A legally recognised marriage gave couples access to more than one thousand rights, including Social Security benefits, medical leave protections, and more.

GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis reflected on the moment in a Bluesky thread.

“A decade into marriage equality two things remain clear: The Obergefell decision helped protect families & strengthen communities across the country. And a majority of Americans continue to support the freedom to marry, because they understand that love is love, & we all deserve that freedom.

“Just as Obergefell helped Americans understand that love and families should not be up for debate, our identities, our right to feel safe walking down the street, and our ability to access healthcare should not be up for debate either.”

“We must be better than that”

Although it is a day to celebrate, it’s also a day to remember our rights can be taken away.

Some US state lawmakers have challenged marriage equality, with attempts to undermine the same-sex right to marry in at least nine states. Of these, five explicitly urge the Supreme Court to overturn Obergfell.

However, the right of marry is somewhat safeguarded by the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act, passed by the Biden administration, mandating that any lawful marriage performed in one state must be recognised by all other states and the federal government.

Writing in the Advocate, Jim Obergefell reflected on the international rise of fascism and the the continued dehumanisation of queer people to mark the anniversary.

“Yes, the queer community has been through this before,” he wrote. “But in 2025, we are losing, and will continue to lose, the rights we fought hard to achieve.

“Unless we see every marginalized community as part of our family, and until we embrace our full community, we succeed only in aiding those who work to erase all LGBTQIA+ people from society.

“What does it say about members of our community who, instead of demanding equality and equity for everyone, stay silent because they do not see others as equals, they feel safe where they live, or their privilege affords them some measure of security?

“What does it say about a society that is willing to sacrifice someone, or an entire community, because they happen to be different?

“We must be better than that. We owe it to those who came before us, and those who will come after us.”