Last updated on: 10/6/2014 | Author: ProCon.org

May 20, 2014 – Pennsylvania Becomes 19th State to Legalize Gay Marriage

“Pennsylvania will not appeal a federal court ruling that overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, ending the battle over the issue in the Keystone State, Gov. Tom Corbett announced on Wednesday.

The decision, announced in emails to reporters, means that Pennsylvania will continue to be the 19th state in the nation, along with the District of Columbia, to legalize gay marriage. Officials began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples Tuesday [May 20, 2014] after U.S. District Court Judge John Jones III, sitting in Harrisburg, Pa., ruled that the state’s 1996 ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional.”