Same-sex marriage became legal at different times around the world, with the first countries to legalize it in the early 2000s and many others following in subsequent years. Here are some key, widely cited milestones to give you a sense of the timeline:
- Denmark: 1989, the first country to recognize same-sex relationships in a formal legal framework (registered partnerships), laying groundwork for broader recognition.
- Netherlands: 2001, first country to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide.
- Belgium: 2003, legalizes same-sex marriage.
- Canada: 2005, nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage.
- Spain: 2005, legalized same-sex marriage.
- South Africa: 2006, legalized same-sex marriage in a constitutional framework.
- Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and several other European nations followed during the mid- to late-2000s.
- United States: 2015, nationwide legalization after the Supreme Court ruling Obergefell v. Hodges.
- Other regions and countries have enacted legalization at various times, including some parts of the Caribbean and Latin America, plus ongoing changes in places with civil unions or domestic partnership frameworks.
If you’re looking for a country-by-country date list or details about a specific nation, I can provide a precise year and the legal mechanism (court ruling, statute, constitutional amendment) for that country.
