As of Oct. 21, 2014, gay marriage has been legalized in 32 US states (AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, UT, VA, VT, WA, WV, WI, and WY) and the District of Columbia. 18 states have gay marriage bans through either laws or constitutional amendments or both. [82]
Proponents argue that same-sex couples should have access to the same marriage benefits and public acknowledgment enjoyed by heterosexual couples and that prohibiting gay marriage is unconstitutional discrimination.