In the wake of North Carolina's decision to amend its Constitution to ban same sex unions, The Guardian website has created a model looking at gay rights in each state.
According to the graphic, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, along with Washington state, Iowa and the District of Columbia, have the most rights afforded to gays.
Connecticut allows:
- same sex marriage;
- hospital visitation by same sex partners or spouses;
- gays to adopt, either singly or as a couple.
Connecticut prohibits:
- employment discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation;
- housing discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation;
- harassment in schools based on gender identity or sexual orientation
Connecticut's hate crime laws also include crimes committed based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
In addition to comparing states' level of gay rights, the Guardian graphic allows you to log in through Facebook and see what rights are afforded in the states where all your Facebook friends live.
