Christopher Martell on Social Studies and Education: Teaching About Marriage Equality: 10 Years After Massachusetts Legalized Marriage for All Couples

Today marks the 10th Anniversary of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's decision legalizing marriage for all couples. This was the first U.S. state to have marriage equality (what was then called "gay marriage" or "same-sex marriage," but will be avoided in this post; see here). Since 2003, U.S. public opinion appears to continue to change in favor of marriage equality and a 2013 Washington Post/ABC News polls shows 58% of Americans support the right for gay and lesbian couples to marry (and to 71% support in 2023). Yet, marriage equality is viewed negatively in many religious and conservative communities and 29 states prohibited same-sex marriage in their state constitutions (this was changed by the 2015 Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges providing a right to marriage nationwide). Like any social movement, students should grapple with the impact of change related to the legal definition of marriage, but also consider deeply issues of fairness and justice. Here are some excellent resources to help social studies teach about the marriage equality movement:

Original 2013 Resources (Now Historical Primary Sources)