Map Reveals Most U.S. States Give Gay Couples Zero Protections

The fight for gay rights won important victories in the past few months. In July, it became legal for same-sex couples to marry in New York State. September saw the official end of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that prevented gay people from serving openly in the military. On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, the law that bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.

If only this were the whole picture. But this remains a country where discrimination against gays is enshrined in most state constitutions. While all the Democrats on the Senate committee supported repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, the chances of repeal anytime soon are very slim. And even if Congress got rid of the act, the ban against same-sex marriage — a denial of equal rights to an entire group of Americans — would still be the law in most parts of the nation.   Read More