A majority of Americans, including a majority of people in every single state, support the freedom to marry. Marriage equality has had immense positive impacts on families, businesses, and society at large – and there’s no reason to disrupt that.
Today the U.S. Supreme Court denied review of Davis v. Ermold, a legal case brought by Kim Davis, a former county clerk in Kentucky who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in the weeks that followed the 2015 landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. Davis’ legal team asked the Court to reconsider Obergefell,
Adam Polaski, Communications & Political Director at the Campaign for Southern Equality, said today: “This order is a relief for so many in the LGBTQ+ community, who have seen relentless attacks on their dignity and equality in recent years. The Supreme Court’s decision to reject this case is perfectly in line with where we are as a country: Marriage equality has been the law of the land for 10 years, including all across the South, and the decision has become deeply ingrained in our culture. The country has moved on, and a majority of people in every single state are supportive of same-sex couples marrying. That’s because marriage equality has helped millions of Americans take care of each other, build stability, and plan for the future. Nowhere is that clearer than in the South, where hundreds of thousands of people are leading lives that are strengthened by the freedom to marry.”
A 2025 report from The Williams Institute finds that the Obergefell ruling ”has had the most profound impact on the South. From 2014 to 2023, the percentage of cohabiting same-sex couples who were married grew by 21% in the South (38% to 59%), 16% in the West (46% to 62%), 15% in the Midwest (41% to 55%), and by 11% in the Northeast (50% to 60%).” A majority of Southern states (AL, AR, GA, KY, LA, MS, TN, TX) still had bans in place prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying until Obergefell, and every other Southern state (FL, NC, SC, VA, WV) had only stopped enforcing their bans 8 months prior to the ruling.
Overall, the Williams Institute found that there are an estimated 823,000 married same-sex couples in the U.S. as of June 2025, more than double the number of married same-sex couples in June 2015 when Obergefell was decided. These couples are raising nearly 300,000 children (299,000).
An additional recent report from The Williams Institute also found that the largest economic impact of allowing same-sex couples to marry was felt in the Southeast. An estimated $2.3 billion was spent on weddings between same-sex couples in the Southeast, around 40% of the estimated $5.9 billion total nationwide spending on weddings between same-sex couples from 2015 through 2025.
Polling in support of the freedom to marry remains at historic highs. There is majority support in every single state, according to 2025 PRRI data, ranging from a low of 50% support in Arkansas to 68% support in Virginia. Recent polling released by Centerline Liberties and Project Right Side found that public support is strongly bipartisan; 56% of Republicans said they supported allowing same-sex couples to marry, and 63% of Republicans said they believe a person who supports same-sex couples marrying can still be considered a Republican.
In the years leading up to the Obergefell ruling, the Campaign for Southern Equality pioneered the “We Do” campaign, in which couples requested marriage licenses in Southern states, provoking denials and shining a light on the urgent need for federal action on the freedom to marry. The effort, from 2011-2015, was the largest sustained campaign around marriage equality in the South, taking place at a time when many predicted it would be decades before the freedom to marry would be achieved in the region. The Campaign for Southern Equality was proud to be a part of lawsuits that brought the freedom to marry to North Carolina and Mississippi.
The Campaign for Southern Equality, in partnership with GLAD Law, Family Equality, Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, COLAGE, PFLAG, and more are leading a new public education effort, “Why Marriage Matters,” which features up-to-date research, polling, and statistics about marriage equality and includes stories of LGBTQ+ families in more than a dozen different states. Learn more at www.WhyMarriageMatters.org.
Mary Bonauto, GLAD Law Senior Director of Civil Rights and Legal Strategies, who argued Obergefell in 2015, said today: “Ten years ago, the Supreme Court rightly recognized that equal protection requires access to legal marriage for same-sex couples on the same terms and conditions as others, and reaffirmed the long-established principle that people, not the government, should be able to decide who they marry. The only thing that has changed since Obergefell was decided is that people across the country have seen how marriage equality provides protection for families and children, and that protection strengthens communities, the economy and our society. Today millions of Americans can breathe a sigh of relief for their families, current or hoped for, because all families deserve equal rights under the law.”
The Campaign for Southern Equality has helped hundreds of same-sex couples and their families share their stories about why marriage matters to them over the past ten years and beyond. If you are looking to connect with a same-sex couple or family member for your coverage of this development, please reach out to [email protected].
