How is the government involved in same-sex marriage?

Answer 1

Efforts to legalize same-sex marriage have resulted in just that in some states and countries. In other places, the government has responded by enacting laws to explicitly ban same-sex marriage and prevent those performed elsewhere from being recognized. In some states and countries, the government (and, sometimes, the electorate) has amended the constitution to ban same-sex marriage and specifically prevent courts from ruling in favor of marriage rights for same-sex couples.

Answer 2

The government enacts and enforces marriage laws that either permit same-sex couples to marry or don't. Laws also recognize same-sex marriages or do not. The government, then, is involved because the laws must either be changed or not be changed.

Answer 3

Whether they can or not is a moot point; they have and continue to except in a few states. Whether or not it is unconstitutional or not is a matter for the judiciary, if it can ever be addressed by the Supreme Court.

Answer 4

The government is composed of individuals that each have their own opinion on the matter. In general, the government is transitioning from its role of enforcing societal bias against oppressed minorities to one of defending the civil rights of those who are actively discriminated against. The process is slow, but is gaining momentum in some places.

Answer 5

There is no specific branch that has sole jurisdiction over this issue. The legislative branch passed a law prohibiting federal recognition of same-sex marriage. The executive branch has announced it feels that law is unconstitutional and will cease defending its constitutionality in court. The judicial branch has declared that law unconstitutional in some jurisdictions (e.g., the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals), but has not weighed in on the issue nationally.

Answer 6

Some governments ban it and some legalize it. Others ignore it.