United States
Marriage nationwide (Obergefell 2015, upheld; Respect for Marriage Act 2022). Bostock 2020 bars employment discrimination. On 10 November 2025 the Supreme Court declined to hear the Kim Davis petition to overturn Obergefell.
- Same-sex activity
- Legal
- Recognition
- Same-sex marriage
- Region
- Americas
- Confidence
- High
- Reviewed
- September 2026
Acceptance
Gallup May 2025: 68% support same-sex marriage, 64% call same-sex relations morally acceptable, with a record 47-point partisan gap. Spartacus fell from 41st (2024) to 48th (2025) to 50th (2026).
Why this tier
Placed at the top of Tier 2 rather than Tier 1 because of the sharp divergence between strong federal law and a worsening political and social climate: the 2025 executive orders (two sexes only, DEI dismantled, a transgender military ban the Supreme Court allowed in May 2025) and falling moral acceptability since 2021. Most 2025 federal actions target trans people specifically; gay legal status is unchanged.
Travel advice
Go, and stay in the cities and beach towns on our list. Read the room once you leave them.
Where the boys go
New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Palm Springs very accepting; conservative states tightening.
Coming up in United States
Method
Tiered on the legal status and social acceptance of gay men and LGB people using ILGA World, the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Human Dignity Trust, the Williams Institute, Pew, the Spartacus Gay Travel Index, Equaldex and court rulings. Where two tiers are plausible we choose the more cautious one. How we tier. Last reviewed September 2026.