Thursday, June 26 marks the tenth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that cleared the way for the freedom to marry for same-sex couples nationwide. 

A new 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, as of June 2025, there are an estimated 823,000 married same-sex couples in the United States, 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. 

On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, the Campaign for Southern Equality will join with partner organizations in Alabama to mark the tenth anniversary; Alabama was one of the last states to continue to fight against marriage for same-sex couples, even passing a law attempting to stop issuing marriage licenses to any couple at all. The event, ”10 Years of the Freedom to Marry: Love Will Always Win,” will be held at the Birmingham Museum of Art, in partnership with Central Alabama Pride and Alabama Equality. Speakers include former U.S. Senator Doug Jones; Freedom to Marry founder and 2025 Presidential Citizens Medal recipient Evan Wolfson; Campaign for Southern Equality’s Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara; Rev. Carmarion Anderson; Michael Rudulph, husband to Alabama’s only out LGBTQ+ lawmaker Neil Rafferty; and others. Learn more about the event here. 

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 from just this month 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. 

Adam Polaski, Communications & Political Director of Freedom to Marry, said today:

“Ten years ago, laws on marriage for same-sex couples were finally settled — and over the past decade, Americans have moved on, with the decision becoming deeply ingrained in our country and culture. The freedom to marry 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. As we celebrate this tenth anniversary, our team is proud to have been a part of this historic movement, and we will continue working toward the lived and legal equality of LGBTQ+ people all across the South. 

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 the Obergefell anniversary, please reach out to adam@southernequality.org. 

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Based in Asheville, NC, the Campaign for Southern Equality promotes full LGBTQ equality across the South. Our work is rooted in commitments to equity in race, gender, and class. Through our Trans Youth Emergency Project we provide logistical and financial support directly to the families of trans youth who are impacted by anti-transgender healthcare bans in the South. www.southernequality.org