Final answer:
Massachusetts was the first state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004. It wasn't until the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision in 2015 that same-sex marriage became legal nationwide.
Step-by-step explanation:
First Country to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
The journey towards the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States was fraught with both progress and setbacks. In 2004, the Massachusetts State Supreme Court ruled the prohibition of same-sex marriage unconstitutional, making Massachusetts the first state to grant legal status to same-sex marriage. Before this landmark decision, Vermont had introduced civil unions in 2000, offering same-sex couples similar rights and benefits to those of married heterosexual couples, but it was Massachusetts that led the way on actual marriage equality.
Despite early strides in Massachusetts, it was not until the Obergefell v. Hodges case in 2015 that the U.S. Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage legal across all fifty states, protecting the marriage rights of gay and lesbian couples nationally. This Supreme Court decision ensured that same-sex marriage became a civil right, reinforcing the notion that the right to marry is fundamental to individual liberty.
It's important to note that although Massachusetts was the first state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage, the country as a whole did not legalize same-sex marriage until 2015 after the decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.