Same-sex marriage.

The recognition of civil unions between same-sex couples by the Vermont state legislature in 2000 helped spark a cultural and political debate on the issue of same-sex marriage in the United States that would draw interest throughout the world. The decision was the first of many legislative actions across numerous US states in favor of same-sex marriage. In 2000 the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage on a national level. National legalization in the United States followed with a landmark Supreme Court decision in 2015, though conservative efforts to overturn or subvert this ruling continued.