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Even before the ''Obergefell v. Hodges'' Supreme Court ruling making same-sex marriage legal across all the states of the United States, same-sex marriage was legal in all of the New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, as well as in the neighboring states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. The New England region has been noted for being the nucleus of the same-sex marriage movement in the United States,〔(A Push Is On for Same-Sex Marriage Rights Across New England ), New York Times, April 4, 2009〕 with the region having among the most widespread and earliest legal support of any region. In 2004, Massachusetts became the first state in the United States to legalize same-sex marriage,〔 to be followed by three more states between October 2008 and June 2009. This followed Vermont being the first-in-the-nation with civil unions in 2000.〔 Before the 2012 election, California (2008), Iowa (2009), New York (2011) and the District of Columbia (2010) had been the only U.S. jurisdictions outside New England to have performed same-sex marriages, though same-sex marriages in California had been halted following the passage of Proposition 8. The legalization of same-sex marriage was part of a campaign which began in November 2008, called Six by Twelve, and was organized by the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) to legalize same-sex marriage in all six New England states by 2012.〔('Gay marriage' bill passes N.H. Senate ), Baptist Press, April 24, 2009〕〔(6x12: Half-way There and Going Strong! ), GLAD, April 14, 2009〕 The region holds a number of firsts on same-sex marriage: Vermont was the first state to enact it through legislative means and not because of a judicial ruling,〔 〕 and Maine was the first state to have a governor sign a same-sex marriage bill that was not the result of a court decision. Maine's first gay marriage law was repealed through a people's veto, but three years later, on November 6, 2012, the question was put to voters a second time, and Maine became one of three first US states to approve same-sex marriage at the ballot box, along with Washington and Maryland. With Rhode Island legalizing same sex marriage, all New England states have same-sex marriage. There have been numerous〔〔〔〔〔 reasons given for why New England has found such strong legal recognition for same-sex marriages in comparison to the rest of the United States. ==Overview== New England is the first region of the country where all states within it have granted marriage rights to same-sex couples.〔 The rapid makeover of its legal landscape made New England a notable standout within the United States.〔 In other parts of the country, while support for same-sex marriage had been gaining steadily, it was still a minority view.〔 Only two states and one district outside the region, Iowa, neighboring New York and the District of Columbia, had allowed same-sex marriage before the 2012 election; voters in California struck down a law supporting such marriages during the fall of 2008.〔 Although the same-sex marriage movement started here nine years ago, when Massachusetts became the first state to legalize it, its growing foothold in the region was not a foregone conclusion.〔 Though politically liberal, New England has not been a hotbed of social revolution in the same vein as California.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Same-sex marriage in New England」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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