Gay marriage interactive map: History of rights for gay couples

Tuesday's California Supreme Court decision upholding Proposition 8, the voter-approved constitutional ban on gay marriage, is the latest of more than 120 milestones tracked by The Times in a new interactive map. The chronology shows the expansion and contraction of spousal rights for gay couples in the U.S. since January 2000.

At that time, Hawaii and California were the only states to offer gay couples the chance to enter legal arrangements. Vermont was poised to begin civil unions later in the year, offering gay couples rights on par with those of marriages.

Thirty states, including Hawaii, had enacted laws to prevent the recognition of same-sex marriages. In California, Proposition 22, a measure to ban gay marriage, was already on the ballot.

Use the map to see changes in state laws and to take a closer look at legislative, judicial and electoral decisions regarding gay marriage and the rights of gay couples over the years.

 -- Megan Garvey