While the rest of the country continues to pass progressive legislation providing same-sex couples the legal and economic rights heterosexual couples have, much of the South and Midwest continue to oppose such measures.
Many of those states contain the highest populations of same-sex couples, Mississippi being the highest and Alabama ranking in the top 10.
"It's hard to know why, but research shows there are same-sex couples living in every single county in every single state," said Megan Haselschwerdt, professor of human development and family studies. "There's often this myth or stereotype about LGBT individuals who congregate in cities, but really, people are living where they want and, often times, regardless of sexual orientation, where they grew up. For people in the South, it's where their church is, where their family is."
Statistics gathered by a Gallup Poll and LGBT demographic professor Gary J. Gates for the Williams Institute stated among the 8 million adults who identify as LGBT in the U.S., 3 million have children and at least 6 million people claim to have a parent who identifies as LGBT.
The report also found the majority of same-sex couples were living and raising children in the South, Midwest and Mountain West regions of the country.
Haselschwerdt said it's imperative states with high LGBT populations make equal marriage rights legal for the benefit of both the individuals and their families.
"Many of the people living there are financially tied there," Haselschwerdt said. "They can't just pack up and leave because the laws don't support their family. I imagine there'd be an increase in the health and financial well-being of families, especially low-income or working-class LGBT families in Southern states, if they have that equality, because then they'll be able to file their taxes together. That can be the difference between $1,000-$7,000 in taxes by filing separately versus filing together."
Haselschwerdt said tax exemption is only one of the benefits recognized marriage can bring to same-sex couples.
Adoption rights for children, legal recognition in court and hospital visitation rights are all currently denied to same-sex couples in Alabama, but would come with state authorization.
The University does not provide employment benefits to same-sex couple.
According to Haselschwerdt, this deters people from working at the school.
"Many states have changed their legislation because of the advocacy of the people who have lost loved ones, but were not allowed to be there when they died, or were banned from the rooms," Haselschwerdt said.
Matthew Bagger, Goodwin-Philpott eminent scholar in philosophy and religion, said although political progress is denying same-sex couples from equal state recognition, the deep-rooted conservative beliefs steeped in southern evangelical traditions continue to influence public opinion.
"Do I think there are good arguments for banning gay marriage?" Bagger said. "Absolutely not. The issue is do religious folks have the right to deprive others of equal protection under the law, and the answer is no. There's a misplaced use of civil-rights language here where somehow allowing gay marriage is infringing on the religious rights of other Americans, and that I think has to be strongly resisted."
Bagger called the change in public sentiment on gay marriage rapid and sharp, often outpacing the views of their churches and denominations.
Bagger said though many in the religious community have embraced marriage equality, widespread legislation of same-sex marriage will likely lead to further divison within denominations and churches.
For some, that polarization is already happening.
"I never use the words same-sex marriage or gay marriage because it's a contradiction," said Bruce Murray, associate professor of reading education. "The basic question to ask is 'what is marriage?' and the answer is it's a conjugal relationship, a pledged mating relationship. The view seems to be that [same-sex marriage] means a romantic friendship that you would like recognized as a marriage, but when you think about a romantic friendship, it doesn't have those things that we expect from marriage."
Murray said allowing same-sex unions to take place not only jeopardizes the rights of everyone in the country, but can be harmful to the children those couples are raising.
Haselschwerdt cited joint research evidence from the American Medical Association, American Pediatric Society and her organization, the National Council on Family Relations, pointing to the opposite.
"There's now rather conclusive evidence that there is no harm done," Haselschwerdt said. "Kids in same-sex couple relationships are just as likely to do well as their heterosexual friends' kids."
Murray said marriage is something that needs to be protected by law, which means defining a legitimate marriage.
"If you think about what a romantic friendship is, why should the government get involved?" Murray said. "I don't need to be recognized by a judge to be someone's friend. If we stopped being friends, I don't want a judge saying you have to pay alimony now. Really, it's not good for homosexuals to have their relationships come under a legal standard of some kind and tie themselves up with the law."
Some in the religious community are already making the decision themselves, regardless of popular opinion.
In 2006, 81 percent of Alabama voted to keep marriage in the state constitution defined as one man and one woman.
Thirty-one states legalized same-sex marriage, with another four awaiting court appeals.
"It would be nice if our state's decision was to go on the side of equality, instead of looking back 20 years from now and, of course, there's Alabama again not supporting a progressive initiative," Haselschwerdt said.
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