Marriage Equality Run

Marriage equality is the leading civil-rights battle of our time, with minds being changed and legal precedents being built up year after year. Such social progress hasn't been without setbacks, of course: The newspeak-named "Defense of Marriage Act" was shoved into law in 1996. Homophobes tried to deprive gay and lesbian couples of equal rights in perpetuity by amending the constitutions of 30 states between 1998 and 2012, and this damage has only started to be undone in the last three years. On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court finally affirmed that same-sex couples have the same identical right to marry in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that different-sex couples do...and the United States of America passed onto the right side of history at last.

In determining what date to use for the start of equality in each state (and therefore which plate to use in representation), I've had to make a few judgment calls. Whenever possible, I've stuck to the date that same-sex marriages began to commence, after being made legal statewide. This means that in states like New Mexico where individual counties began issuing marriage licenses before the right to wed was recognized statewide, I've gravitated towards the latter. States like Wisconsin and Indiana are a little murkier because they have two potential start points: The bans were struck down, marriages commenced piecemeal for a few days, then the rulings were stayed and the right to marry was temporarily revoked so that Christian-nationalist governors and attorneys general could appeal and waste time and money defending their discrimination until higher courts threw the books in their face. I've decided to count these states with the understanding that marriage equality was officially legal statewide during the initial window of opportunity, even if not every county clerk recognized this at the time.

State officials in Mississppi and Louisiana obstructed marriage equality until July 2015 by refusing to recognize the Supreme Court's nationwide ruling until a redundant order was made from a lower court. Sam Brownback of Kansas waged an analogous battle against civil rights for eight months straight, with state agencies denied the ability to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples even though they were legal in the eyes of the law. Even today, the battles aren't over: Our adversaries are ramping up an onslaught of Christian-privilege and anti-transgender bills in North Carolina and a variety of other states as you read this...taking aim at the most marginalized sexual minorities and legislating away their very ability to partake in society. Lastly since private-sector employment and housing discrimination is still completely legal in 28 states, gay and lesbian couples anywhere from Alaska to Florida can find themselves homeless and unemployed as a consequence of their marriages. Let's use nationwide marriage equality as a foundation for ending LGBT inequality in all its manifestations and laying the groundwork for more progressive change.

This themed set of license plates is incomplete, and its scope was in a state of constant change for many years as the number of marriage-equality states increased from 1 to 50. Currently I'm missing just one piece of the puzzle: South Carolina 11/14. Several other states can stand to be upgraded in condition. If you can contribute any of the license plates for this unique run, please let me know!

Massachusetts

May 17, 2004 - present

Established by court ruling, Nov. 18, 2003.

California

June 16, 2008 - November 4, 2008
June 28, 2013 - present

Established by court rulings, May 15, 2008 and Aug. 4, 2010.

Connecticut

November 12, 2008 - present

Established by court ruling, Oct. 10, 2008.

Iowa

April 27, 2009 - present

Established by court ruling, Apr. 3, 2009.

District of Columbia

July 20, 2009 - present

Established by legislation, May 20, 2009.

Vermont

September 1, 2009 - present

Established by legislation, Apr. 6, 2009.

New Hampshire

January 1, 2010 - present

Established by legislation, Jun. 3, 2009.

New York

July 24, 2011 - present

Established by legislation, Jun. 24, 2011.

Washington

December 9, 2012 - present

Established by legislation, Feb. 13, 2012, and popular vote Nov. 6, 2012.

Maine

December 29, 2012 - present

Established by legislation, May 6, 2009, and popular vote Nov. 6, 2012.

Maryland

January 1, 2013 - present

Established by legislation, Mar. 1, 2012, and popular vote Nov. 6, 2012.

Delaware

July 1, 2013 - present

Established by legislation, May 7, 2013.

Rhode Island

August 1, 2013 - present

Established by legislation, May 2, 2013.

Minnesota

August 1, 2013 - present

Established by legislation, May 14, 2013.

New Jersey

October 21, 2013 - present

Established by court ruling, Sept. 27, 2013.

Hawaii

December 2, 2013 - present

Established by legislation, Nov. 13, 2013.

New Mexico

December 19, 2013 - present (statewide)

Established by court ruling, Dec. 19, 2013.

Utah

December 20, 2013 - January 6, 2014
October 6, 2014 - present

Established by court rulings, Dec. 20, 2013 and Oct. 6, 2014.

Michigan

March 22, 2014
June 26, 2015 - present

Established by court rulings, Mar. 21, 2014 and June 26, 2015.

Arkansas

May 10, 2014 - May 16, 2014
June 26, 2015 - present

Established by court rulings, May 9, 2014 and June 26, 2015.

Oregon

May 19, 2014 - present

Established by court ruling, May 19, 2014.

Pennsylvania

May 20, 2014 - present

Established by court ruling, May 20, 2014.

Illinois

June 1, 2014 - present (statewide)

Established by legislation, Nov. 20, 2013.

Wisconsin

June 6, 2014 - June 13, 2014
October 6, 2014 - present

Established by court rulings, Jun. 6 and Oct. 6, 2014.

Indiana

June 25, 2014 - June 27, 2014
October 6, 2014 - present

Established by court rulings, Jun. 25 and Oct. 6, 2014.

Oklahoma

October 6, 2014 - present

Established by court ruling, Jan. 14, 2014.

Virginia

October 6, 2014 - present

Established by court ruling, Feb. 13, 2014.

Colorado

October 7, 2014 - present (statewide)

Established by court ruling, July 9, 2014.

Nevada

October 9, 2014 - present

Established by court ruling, Oct. 7, 2014.

West Virginia

October 9, 2014 - present

Established by court ruling, July 28, 2014.

North Carolina

October 10, 2014 - present

Established by court ruling, July 28, 2014.

Alaska

October 13, 2014 - present

Established by court ruling, Oct. 12, 2014.

Idaho

October 15, 2014 - present

Established by court ruling, May 15, 2014.

Arizona

October 17, 2014 - present

Established by court ruling, Oct. 17, 2014.

Wyoming

October 21, 2014 - present

Established by court ruling, Oct. 17, 2014.

South Carolina

Can you help? I need a South Carolina plate with an 11/14 expiration for this run.

November 20, 2014 - present

Established by court ruling, Nov. 12, 2014.

Montana

November 19, 2014 - present

Established by court ruling, Nov. 19, 2014.

Florida

January 6, 2015 - present

Established by court ruling, Aug. 21, 2014.

Alabama

February 9, 2015 - March 3, 2015
June 26, 2015 - present

Established by court rulings, Jan. 23 and June 26, 2015.

Georgia

June 26, 2015 - present

Established by court ruling, June 26, 2015.

Kentucky

June 26, 2015 - present

Established by court ruling, June 26, 2015.

Missouri

June 26, 2015 - present (statewide)

Established by court rulings, Nov. 5 and Nov. 7, 2014.

Nebraska

June 26, 2015 - present

Established by court ruling, June 26, 2015.

North Dakota

June 26, 2015 - present

Established by court ruling, June 26, 2015.

Ohio

June 26, 2015 - present

Established by court ruling, June 26, 2015.

South Dakota

June 26, 2015 - present

Established by court ruling, Jan. 12, 2015.

Tennessee

June 26, 2015 - present

Established by court ruling, June 26, 2015.

Texas

June 26, 2015 - present

Established by court ruling, Feb. 26, 2014.

Mississippi

July 1, 2015 - present

Established by court ruling, June 26, 2015, but recognition obstructed by Jim Hood until July 1.

Louisiana

July 2, 2015 - present

Established by court ruling, June 26, 2015, but recognition obstructed by Bobby Jindal until July 2.

Kansas

July 7, 2015 - present

Established by court ruling, Nov. 4, 2014, but recognition obstructed by Sam Brownback until July 7.

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