| Summary: | The issue of marriage equality is the same across the country. The outcome, on the other hand, is vastly different from state to state not to mention the federal government. What accounts for the different paths states have taken when it comes to recognizing or banning same-sex marriage? Some states have granted full marriage benefits to same-sex couples, some have passed a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, and others have provided civil unions, which allot
certain rights, but not full marriage rights, to same-sex couples. To shed light on the variety of ways states have handled this issue I have conducted a comparative case study of three states: California, Colorado and Massachusetts. Each has taken vastly different actions on the issue of same-sex marriage, and my comparative analysis explains how a state's political culture, its legal traditions, and its networks of organized interests all influence the outcome of this pressing social
issue.
|
|---|
