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Same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
has been legal in
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
since June 26, 2015. On November 25, 2014, U.S. District Court Judge Carlton W. Reeves of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi ruled that Mississippi's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Enforcement of his ruling was stayed pending appeal to the
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * Eastern District of Louisiana * Mi ...
. On June 26, 2015, the
U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
ruled in ''
Obergefell v. Hodges ''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark LGBT rights case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protect ...
'' that the denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples violates the
U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nation ...
. On June 29, Attorney General Jim Hood ordered clerks to comply with the court ruling and issue
marriage license A marriage license (or marriage licence in Commonwealth spelling) is a document issued, either by a religious organization or state authority, authorizing a couple to marry. The procedure for obtaining a license varies between jurisdictio ...
s to same-sex couples. The Fifth Circuit lifted its stay on July 1, and Judge Reeves ordered an end to Mississippi's enforcement of its same-sex marriage ban. However, until July 2, 2015, several
counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in Mississippi continued to refuse to issue marriage licenses, including DeSoto,
Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
, Jones, Newton, Pontotoc,
Simpson Simpson most often refers to: * Simpson (name), a British surname *''The Simpsons'', an animated American sitcom **The Simpson family, central characters of the series ''The Simpsons'' Simpson may also refer to: Organizations Schools *Simpso ...
and Yalobusha.Desoto county won't issue same-sex marriage licenses
/ref>Circuit court clerks refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses
/ref>


Legal history

In 1978, a same-sex couple was refused a
marriage license A marriage license (or marriage licence in Commonwealth spelling) is a document issued, either by a religious organization or state authority, authorizing a couple to marry. The procedure for obtaining a license varies between jurisdictio ...
. In 1994, another same-sex couple, Todd Emerson and Luis Cintron, applied for a license in
Ocean Springs Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States, approximately east of Biloxi and west of Gautier. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,225 at the 2000 U.S. Census ...
but were rejected.


Restrictions

On August 24, 1996, Governor
Kirk Fordice Daniel Kirkwood "Kirk" Fordice Jr. () (February 10, 1934 – September 7, 2004), was an American politician and businessman who served as the 61st Governor of Mississippi from 1992 to 2000. He was the first Republican governor of the stat ...
issued an
executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of t ...
banning same-sex marriage in the state. On January 10, 1997, the Mississippi State Senate passed a bill banning same-sex marriage in the state. On February 5, 1997, the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
passed the bill, and Governor Kirk Fordice signed it into law on February 12. It went into effect on the same day. On March 1, 2004, the Mississippi House of Representatives, by a 97 to 17 vote, approved Amendment 1, a constitutional amendment defining
marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
as "only between a man and a woman" and denying recognition to same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions. The Mississippi Senate passed it on April 7 by a 51 to 0 vote, and voters approved it on November 4 with 86% of the vote.


Lawsuits


''Campaign for Southern Equality v. Bryant''

The Campaign for Southern Equality and two lesbian couples filed suit in
federal district court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...
on October 20, 2014, challenging Mississippi's
statutory A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...
and constitutional denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples. Each of the couples was raising two children and one couple had previously married in Maine. Their principal attorney was Roberta Kaplan, who had argued ''
United States v. Windsor ''United States v. Windsor'', 570 U.S. 744 (2013), is a landmark United States Supreme Court civil rights case concerning same-sex marriage. The Court held that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which denied federal recognition o ...
'' before the U.S. Supreme Court. They named as defendants Governor Phil Bryant and Attorney General Jim Hood, and the
Hinds County Hinds County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. With its county seats ( Raymond and the state's capital, Jackson), Hinds is the most populous county in Mississippi with a 2020 census population of 227,742 residents. Hinds Cou ...
circuit clerk who denied a marriage license to one of the plaintiff couples. U.S. District Court Judge Carlton W. Reeves held a hearing on motions for
summary judgment In law, a summary judgment (also judgment as a matter of law or summary disposition) is a judgment entered by a court for one party and against another party summarily, i.e., without a full trial. Summary judgments may be issued on the merits of ...
on November 12. He ruled for the plaintiffs on November 25, finding that the state's ban did not survive
rational basis review In U.S. constitutional law, rational basis review is the normal standard of review that courts apply when considering constitutional questions, including due process or equal protection questions under the Fifth Amendment or Fourteenth Amendme ...
. Although Fifth Circuit precedent prevented him from using a stricter standard when considering discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...
, he argued at length that the proper standard to use would be "
heightened scrutiny Intermediate scrutiny, in U.S. constitutional law, is the second level of deciding issues using judicial review. The other levels are typically referred to as rational basis review (least rigorous) and strict scrutiny (most rigorous). In order t ...
" and he suggested the Fifth Circuit consider revisiting the question. He stayed his ruling for 14 days to allow the defendants to request a longer stay from the
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * Eastern District of Louisiana * Mi ...
or the U.S. Supreme Court. The state defendants asked the Fifth Circuit for a stay pending appeal the next day. This stay was immediately opposed by the plaintiffs, who also filed a motion to expedite the appeal to coincide with hearings for a
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
case, '' De Leon v. Perry'', and a
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
case, '' Robicheaux v. George''. On December 4, the Fifth Circuit agreed to expedite the case, but not to consolidate
oral argument Oral arguments are spoken presentations to a judge or appellate court by a lawyer (or parties when representing themselves) of the legal reasons why they should prevail. Oral argument at the appellate level accompanies written briefs, which also a ...
s with its other same-sex marriage cases. It issued a stay pending appeal the same day. The Fifth Circuit heard oral arguments on January 9, 2015, before Judges Patrick Higginbotham,
Jerry Edwin Smith Jerry Edwin Smith (born November 7, 1946) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Early life and education Born on November 7, 1946, in Del Rio, ...
, and James E. Graves Jr.


''Czekala-Chatham v. Melancon''

A lesbian couple, residents of Mississippi who had married in California in 2008, asked the state to recognize their marriage in order to allow them to
divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
. The lawsuit was filed in DeSoto County, in Mississippi's Third District Chancery Court, in September 2013. The
Mississippi Attorney General The Attorney General of Mississippi is the chief legal officer of the state and serves as the state's lawyer. Only the Attorney General can bring or defend a lawsuit on behalf of the state. The Attorney General is elected statewide for a four-yea ...
's office intervened in their divorce suit, ''Czekala-Chatham v. Melancon''. The plaintiffs contended that "there can be no legitimate state purpose in allowing bigamous or incestuous couples to divorce and not allowing the same remedy to same-sex couples". The Third District Chancery Court dismissed their case for lack of jurisdiction. On appeal, the
Mississippi Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was established in the first constitution of the state following its admission as a State of the Union in 1817 and was known as the High Court of Errors and App ...
took jurisdiction and allowed Governor Bryant, represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, to intervene to support the state's position. That court heard oral arguments on January 21, 2015. On February 24, the court, after noting that all parties agreed proceedings should be stayed pending action by the U.S. Supreme Court in related cases, asked for additional briefs. Six justices supported that request, one objected that nothing would be gained, and two objected that it was only "a delay tactic" and the court should find the state's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. On July 2, 2015, Attorney General Hood, citing the previous week's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in ''Obergefell'', asked the court to grant the divorce he had previously opposed. On November 5, 2015, in a 5–4 ruling, the Mississippi Supreme Court remanded the case to the Third District Chancery Court in light of ''Obergefell''. The court ruled that the plaintiffs' requested relief, which the Attorney General had already agreed, was consistent with ''Obergefell'' and thus ruled in favor of Czekala-Chatham. Forming the five-justice majority were Justices
Bill Waller Jr. William Lowe Waller Jr. (born February 9, 1952) is an American judge who served on the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1998 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was chief justice for his last decade in office. Waller was a candidate ...
, Michael K. Randolph, Ann Hannaford Lamar, David A. Chandler, and Randy G. Pierce. Justices Josiah D. Coleman and Jess H. Dickinson each joined each other's dissents, disagreeing with ''Obergefell'' and questioning the decision's constitutional authority. Justice Pierce, joined by Chandler, wrote a separate concurrence accusing Justices Coleman and Dickinson of violating their oath of office by refusing to follow a ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice Leslie D. King, joined by James W. Kitchens, dissented, though they agreed Czekala-Chatham received the proper relief. Justice King wrote that, "While I am satisfied that the right result for Czekala-Chatham has been reached, I believe this Court does a great disservice to the jurisprudence of this State by reaching such result in an order, rather than issuing a precedential opinion. Consequently, I object to issuing this decision via order." On December 1, 2015, Chancellor Mitchell Lundy, Jr. granted the divorce. He apologized to Czekala-Chatham for denying the original divorce in December 2013, but explained that he felt he had no other choice due to Mississippi's refusal to recognize their marriage at the time.


''Obergefell v. Hodges''

On June 26, 2015, the
U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
ruled in ''
Obergefell v. Hodges ''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark LGBT rights case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protect ...
'' that the denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples violates the Due Process and
Equal Protection The Equal Protection Clause is part of the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The clause, which took effect in 1868, provides "''nor shall any State ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal ...
clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. Following the decision, Attorney General Jim Hood said: "The Supreme Court's decision is not immediately effective in Mississippi. It will become effective in Mississippi, and circuit clerks will be required to issue same-sex marriage licenses, when the 5th Circuit lifts the stay" and allows Judge Reeves' order to take effect. Governor Bryant and Lieutenant Governor
Tate Reeves Jonathan Tate Reeves (born June 5, 1974) is an American politician serving as the 65th governor of Mississippi since 2020. A member of the Republican Party, Reeves served as the 32nd lieutenant governor of Mississippi from 2012 to 2020 and as ...
condemned the ruling. State Representative
Andy Gipson James Andrew Gipson (born December 21, 1976) is an American politician. He is the current Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce. A member of the Republican Party, Gipson served as a member of the Mississippi House of Represent ...
, chair of the Mississippi House Judiciary Committee, suggested the state should consider having "no marriage certificate sponsored by the state". The plaintiffs filed a motion the same day asking the Fifth Circuit to lift its stay of that order. Attorney General Hood did not oppose that motion, but Governor Bryant did. On June 29, Hood issued an email to county clerks to clarify his earlier statement which, he wrote, "seems to have been misinterpreted as prohibiting Circuit Clerks from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The statement was merely meant to explain that an order of the Fifth Circuit would be necessary to lift the stay." He wrote: "''Obergefell'' is the law of the land. If a clerk has issued or decides to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple, there will be no adverse action taken by the Attorney General against that circuit clerk on behalf of the State.... On the other hand, a clerk who refuses to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple could be sued by the denied couple and may face liability." On July 1, the Fifth Circuit lifted its stay and returned the ''Campaign for Southern Equality'' case to the district court, where Judge Reeves ordered Mississippi and its agents to cease enforcing the state's constitutional and statutory restrictions on same-sex marriage. The last
counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in Mississippi to refuse to issue marriage licenses, DeSoto,
Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
, Jones, Newton, Pontotoc,
Simpson Simpson most often refers to: * Simpson (name), a British surname *''The Simpsons'', an animated American sitcom **The Simpson family, central characters of the series ''The Simpsons'' Simpson may also refer to: Organizations Schools *Simpso ...
and Yalobusha counties, began issuing licenses on July 2, 2015. The first same-sex couple to marry in Mississippi were Amber Hamilton and Annice Smith in
Hattiesburg Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the populat ...
on June 26, just hours before Attorney General Hood instructed county clerks to wait for the Fifth Circuit to lift its stay.


Developments after legalization

On June 27, 2016, a federal judge ruled that county clerks in Mississippi may not recuse themselves from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples based on their religious beliefs. U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves ruled that the recusals on religious grounds granted by the '' Religious Liberty Accommodations Act'' violated ''Obergefell v. Hodges''. The decision was overturned on appeal by the Fifth Circuit on June 23, 2017, in ''Barber v. Bryant'', on the grounds that the plaintiffs in this case lacked
standing Standing, also referred to as orthostasis, is a position in which the body is held in an ''erect'' ("orthostatic") position and supported only by the feet. Although seemingly static, the body rocks slightly back and forth from the ankle in the s ...
. The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled in ''Strickland v. Day'' in April 2018 that married same-sex couples should have the same parental rights as married opposite-sex couples. The court overturned the decision of a trial court that Strickland, a non-biological lesbian mother who was denied legal parentage for a boy she and her ex-wife had raised together, was not a parent. The court named Strickland on her son's
birth certificate A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a person. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensui ...
as a parent, and remanded the case to trial court for matters considering
child support Child support (or child maintenance) is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child (or parent, caregiver, guardian) following the end of a marriage or other similar relationship. Child maintenance is paid d ...
and custody.


Native American nations

The Domestic Relations Code of the
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians ( cho, Mississippi Chahta) is one of three federally recognized tribes of Choctaw Native Americans, and the only one in the state of Mississippi. On April 20, 1945, this tribe organized under the Indian R ...
recognizes all marriages which have been validly performed in another jurisdiction. The code defines marriage as a personal consensual relationship arising out of a civil contract, and does not expressly forbid same-sex marriages. On May 4, 2016, the Assistant Attorney General, Cheryl Hamby, stated in an official opinion that due to its recognition of Mississippi state law as a "valid means for marriage, same sex marriage is valid in tribal court. Additionally, the tribe will recognize a Mississippi same-sex marriage licence." While there are no records of same-sex marriages as understood from a
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
perspective being performed in Native American cultures, there is evidence for identities and behaviours that may be placed on the LGBT spectrum. It is likely that Choctaw society had a designation like
two-spirit Two-spirit (also two spirit, 2S or, occasionally, twospirited) is a modern, , umbrella term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe Native people in their communities who fulfill a traditional third-gender (or other gender-variant) ...
for individuals who were born male but wore women's clothing and performed everyday household work and artistic handiwork which were regarded as belonging to the feminine sphere, but a lot of traditional knowledge was lost during the adoption of
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
and the
Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears was an ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of approximately 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850 by the United States government. As part of the Indian removal, members of the Cherokee, ...
for those Choctaw forcibly removed to the
Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...
. In the
Choctaw language The Choctaw language (Choctaw: ), spoken by the Choctaw, an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, is part of the Muskogean language family. Chickasaw is separate but closely related language to Choctaw. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahom ...
, two-spirit people are known as (), though the term is relatively modern. Choctaw author
LeAnne Howe LeAnne Howe (born April 29, 1951, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) is an American author and Eidson Distinguished Professor in the Department of English at the University of Georgia, Athens. She previously taught American Indian Studies and English ...
stated in a 2022 book, "Often they weren't just involved with other men but had many levels of relationships. They were also involved with our community in very special ways. They could be healers. They're people that protected our children because they embodied more than one thing. And what is part of Choctawan aesthetics is that we revere things that are unusual. Different. When you look at the spirit that's connected in 'ohoyo holba'' and when they put on that dress in olden times, they are saying 'the embodiment of many'." Some female-bodied two-spirit individuals use the term (). It is unknown if Choctaw two-spirit individuals were historically allowed to marry.


Demographics and marriage statistics

Data from the
2000 U.S. census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...
showed that 4,774 same-sex couples were living in Mississippi. Same-sex couples lived in all counties of the state, and constituted 0.8% of coupled households and 0.5% of all households in the state. Most couples lived in
Hinds Hinds may refer to: Deer, especially does *Deer People with the surname Hinds: *Hinds (surname) In places: * Hinds, New Zealand, a small town * Hinds County, Mississippi, a US county *Hinds Lake, a lake in Minnesota *Hinds River, a river that flo ...
,
Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...
and Rankin counties, but the counties with the highest percentage of same-sex couples were Tallahatchie (0.82% of all county households) and
Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...
(0.74%). Same-sex partners in Mississippi were on average younger than opposite-sex partners, and more likely to be employed. However, the average and median household incomes of same-sex couples were lower than different-sex couples, and same-sex couples were also far less likely to own a home than opposite-sex partners. Individuals in same-sex relationships were also significantly more likely to be
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
; 46% of people in same-sex unions were African American compared to 20.5% of people in married opposite-sex unions. 35% of same-sex couples in Mississippi were raising children under the age of 18, with an estimated 2,839 children living in households headed by same-sex couples in 2005. The
2020 U.S. census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
showed that there were 3,100 married same-sex couple households (1,173 male couples and 1,927 female couples) and 2,837 unmarried same-sex couple households in Mississippi.


Domestic partnerships

On September 5, 2014, the City Council of Starkville voted 7–0 in favor of an ordinance establishing domestic partner benefits for city employees in same-sex relationships. On January 6, 2015, the Council voted 5–2 to repeal the ordinance passed in September. On January 8, Mayor Parker Wiseman vetoed the repeal, but on January 21, the Council voted 5–2 to override Wiseman's veto and repeal the domestic partnership ordinance.Starkville, Mississippi Officials Override Mayor's Veto, Repeal Historic Gay-Rights Initiatives
/ref>


Public opinion

In a 2016
Public Religion Research Institute The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) is an American nonprofit, nonpartisan research and education organization that conducts public opinion polls on a variety of topics, specializing in the quantitative and qualitative study of politic ...
(PRRI) poll, Mississippi was one of the only three
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
s where a majority of residents opposed same-sex marriage, alongside
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
and
West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
. In 2021, Mississippi was the state with the highest opposition to same-sex marriage in the entire country according to the PRRI. {, class="wikitable" , +style="font-size:100%" , Public opinion for same-sex marriage in Mississippi , - ! style="width:190px;", Poll source ! style="width:200px;", Date(s)
administered ! class=small , Sample
size ! Margin of
error ! style="width:100px;", % support ! style="width:100px;", % opposition ! style="width:40px;", % no opinion , -
Public Religion Research Institute
, align=center
March 11 – December 14, 2022
, align=center, ? , align=center, ? , align=center, ''49%'' , align=center, 48% , align=center, 3% , -
Public Religion Research Institute
, align=center
March 8 – November 9, 2021
, align=center, ? , align=center, ? , align=center, 44% , align=center, 55% , align=center, 1% , -
Public Religion Research Institute
, align=center
January 7 – December 20, 2020
, align=center, 286 random telephone
interviewees , align=center, ? , align=center, ''47%'' , align=center, 33% , align=center, 20% , -
Public Religion Research Institute
, align=center
April 5 – December 23, 2017
, align=center, 586 random telephone
interviewees , align=center, ? , align=center, 42% , align=center, ''48%'' , align=center, 10% , -
Public Religion Research Institute
, align=center
May 18, 2016 – January 10, 2017
, align=center, 833 random telephone
interviewees , align=center, ? , align=center, 37% , align=center, 56% , align=center, 7% , -
Public Religion Research Institute
, align=center
April 29, 2015 – January 7, 2016
, align=center, 753 random telephone
interviewees , align=center, ? , align=center, 25% , align=center, 65% , align=center, 10% , -
New York Times/CBS News/YouGov
, align=center, September 20 – October 1, 2014 , align=center, 826 likely voters , align=center, ± 4.5% , align=center, 29% , align=center, 56% , align=center, 15% , -
Public Policy Polling
, align=center, November 15–17, 2013 , align=center, 502 voters , align=center, ± 4.4% , align=center, 22% , align=center, 69% , align=center, 9% , -
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research/Target Point Consulting
, align=center, June 26 – July 9, 2013 , align=center, 640 adults , align=center, ± 3.87% , align=center, 36% , align=center, 55% , align=center, 9% , -
Public Policy Polling
, align=center, November 4–6, 2011 , align=center, 796 likely voters , align=center, ± 3.5% , align=center, 13% , align=center, 78% , align=center, 9% , -


See also

*
LGBT rights in Mississippi Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of Mississippi face legal challenges and discrimination not experienced by non-LGBT residents. LGBT rights in Mississippi are limited in comparison to other states. Same-s ...
* Same-sex marriage in the United States


References


External links


''Campaign for Southern Equality v. Bryant''
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, November 25, 2014 {{Same-sex marriage in the United States 2015 in LGBT history LGBT rights in Mississippi
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
2015 in Mississippi