Will You Marry Me

For same-sex couples who want a religious wedding, legally recognized or not, there is good news: More religious bodies than ever are performing same-sex marriages, although some still call them "holy unions" or some other alternative name.

Most of these bodies allow clergy to opt out of same-sex ceremonies as their conscience dictates, and in some, policy varies from one congregation to another. And some religious groups that oppose marriage equality, like the United Methodist Church, have clergy whose conscience leads them to defy the official policy and perform the ceremonies anyway. While the list below is heavily Judeo-Christian, note that Buddhism and Hinduism have no official position on same-sex marriage, so you may find an officiant from one of those faiths to sanctify your union.

So check with the church, synagogue, or temple of your choice, and also with the LGBT-affirming groups within various religious entities (go to Advocate.com for a list). But here are some religious bodies that allow clergy to officiate gay unions:

American Baptist Church
American, Independent, and Old Catholic Churches (unlike Roman Catholicism, independent of the Vatican)
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist Judaism
Episcopal Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Metropolitan Community Church
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Reformed Church in America
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Unitarian Universalist Association
United Church of Canada
United Church of Christ
Unity Church

As you seek a marriage officiant or an LGBT-affirming house of worship, here are some resources for various faiths:

Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (American Baptist, Alliance of Baptists, and some other Baptist groups): WABaptists.org
Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns (Quaker): FLGBTQC.org
Gay and Lesbian Vaishnava Association (Hindu): GALVA108.org
Gay Buddhist Fellowship: GayBuddhist.org
Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples Alliance (Christian Church [Disciples of Christ]): GLADAlliance.org
Integrity USA (Episcopal Church): IntegrityUSA.org
Lutherans Concerned/North America (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America): LCNA.org
More Light Presbyterians (Presbyterian Church USA): MLP.org
Reconciling Ministries Network (United Methodist): RMNetwork.org
Room for All (Reformed Church in America): RoomForAll.com
Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International: SDAKinship.org
World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Jews: GLBTJews.org

All Metropolitan Community Church congregations are LGBT-positive, as that's the population the denomination was founded to serve. To learn more about the MCC and find a congregation near you, go to MCCChurch.org.