Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton officially signed gay marriage into law Tuesday (14 May) during a spirited ceremony on the steps of the statehouse attended by thousands of cheering supporters.

'What a day for Minnesota,' Dayton said. 'And what a difference a year and an election can make.'

The governor pointed out that last year, there was concern that same-sex marriage might be banned forever in the state. But the referendum was defeated last November and 'now my signature will make it legal in two-and-a-half months.'

Minnesota might become the 12th state in the US to legalize gay marriage next week and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is eager to see that his state becomes the 13th.

Proposed marriage equality legislation has been stalled for some time in the Illinois House of Representatives and Quinn is getting tired of waiting.

Former Florida governor Charlie Crist has announced his support of gay marriage.

The Republican-turned-Democrat took to his Facebook page this week to say he supports marriage equality in the swing vote state.

Crist wrote: ‘Some great news: On Tuesday, Delaware became the 11th state to allow marriage equality. And just a few days ago, Rhode Island adopted a similar measure, which followed victories last fall in Maine, Maryland and Washington.

Delaware is to vote on whether they wish to become the 11th US state to pass same-sex marriage today (7 May).

The US state's Democrat-controlled Senate is expected to pass the bill after the General Assembly approved it several weeks ago.

Governor Jack Markell is an outspoken supporter of gay marriage and has vowed to sign the bill into law if it is cleared by the US senate.

Texas Governor Rick Perry is comparing keeping gays and lesbians out of the Boy Scouts of America to fighting against slavery.

With an organization's national executive board set to vote this month on a proposal that would drop a ban on gay members, Perry was among those who appeared on the anti-gay Family Research Council's program Stand With Scouting Sunday.

The proposal continues to ban gay and lesbian adults from being involved in the organization.

Rhode Island is set to become the 10th state to legalize same-sex marriage today (2 May).

While it is the last holdout among the other five New England states, the heavily Catholic state will join its neighbors when Governor Lincoln Chafee signs the bill into law at 6pm EDT.

The first weddings could occur on 1 August when the new law will take effect.

Same-sex marriage supporters renewed their fight to get it legalized this year, and the recent Senate vote was seen as the final test after the House easily passed the bill.

The state senate in Rhode Island has passed a bill that will make their state the 10th in the US to allow gay marriage.

In a 26-12 vote Wednesday (24 April), the Democratic controlled senate passed a bill that had made it out of the judiciary committee just a day earlier.

Rhode Island had been the only New England state where gay marriage is not yet legal. Governor Lincoln Chafee says he plans to sign the bill into law.

In a statement after the vote, Chafee said the senators has chosen 'tolerance and fairness over division and discrimination.'

Gay sex is now legal in the US state of Montana.

An obsolete law, which called gay sex similar to bestiality, was stricken from Montana’s code yesterday (18 April).

Before Governor Steve Bullock signed the bill, he called the gay sex ban ‘embarrassing’ and ‘unconstitutional’.

Gay rights activists said they had been waiting 24 years for this moment. 16 years ago, the state Supreme Court ruled the law went against the constitution.

Delaware Governor Jack Markell says if the state legislature passes a marriage equality bill, he will happily sign it into law.

'It can happen here in Delaware and it can happen this year,' Markell told a crowd of students Monday (8 April 8) at the University Of Delaware.

'But it will only happen if you do your part to make it happen,' he added.

From all indications Governor Rick Perry is over his epic failure as a presidential candidate. He has taken the unofficial title of Boy Scouts of America defender, and is unhappy with Madonna's recent comments about the organization.

As reported by the Houston Chronicle, the governor went on Glenn Beck's radio show to complain about the pop singer's speech at last week's Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) award program.

Hillary Clinton has come out for marriage equality.

On Monday (18 March), the US Democrat made the announcement in an online video released by the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign.

In the five-minute video, she says gays and lesbians are ‘full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citizenship.’

‘That includes marriage,’ Clinton says, adding she backs same-sex marriage both ‘personally and as a matter of policy and law.’