Mississippi gay marriage is currently illegal due to an existing amendment that prohibits gay couples from attaining marriage licenses. Advocates of marital equality are working to gain the support necessary to negate the existing law.
Two same-sex couples in the state made waves when they requested divorces. In order to grant a couple a divorce, the state would have had to honor their wedding to begin with. The couples were married out-of-state, so jurisdiction issues have been brought into question.
The amendment was pushed through in 2004 by those who opposed gay marriage. It’s titled Amendment 1, and it prevents couples of the same sex from marrying legally. Joint adoption is also illegal in Mississippi for unmarried couples. Since Mississippi gay marriage is not legal, this forbids gay couples from adopting at all. Legal benefits to homosexual couples are also limited in comparison to those of straight couples. Gay couples aren’t allowed government protection, even if they have families.
Mississippi residents are not as statistically supportive of gay marriage as other states. Despite this fact, there are a few groups that are actively trying to garner support for Mississippi gay marriage. Here are two notable examples:
• Freedom to Marry, which is a national effort to secure marital rights for gay couples
• Equality Mississippi, an organization that aims to improve LGBTQ rights for residents
As of 2013, 49% of residents agreed that couples of the same sex should be able to attain legal protection. The other groups are divided, making this group of poll participants the majority. This group has increased in number over the last few years. Only 38% of respondents in a previous poll supported the idea that gay couples should at least have partnership benefits.
The Williams Institute reported that there were 3,484 same-sex couples dwelling in Mississippi in 2010. This number makes up for about .0031% of the population.
