California became only the second state in the nation to allow same-sex couples to legally marry, following a ruling today by the California State Supreme Court, striking down the state's ban on same-sex marriages as unconstitutional.

Previously, Massachusetts was the only state to authorize same-sex marriages. Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Connecticut allow civil unions, while California previously had a domestic-partner registration law, reports CNN.com.

To see where your state stands on same-sex marriages, click here.

The ruling came after four lawsuits were filed on behalf of the city of San Francisco and 23 same-sex couples argued that the current law violates rights under the California constitution to marry the partner of one's choice. 

"The California justices affirmed loud and clear that marriage should be based on a couple's love and commitment," said Out & Equal Executive Director Selisse Berry.  "Thousands of committed couples will be given the societal respect, recognition and legal protections that are provided only when two individuals become legally married. Yesterday marriage in California was defined by who it excluded. Today it's defined by who is included."

The state's ban on same sex-marriage, reports The New York Times, was based on a law enacted by the state legislature in 1977 and a statewide initiative approved by voters in 2000 that defined marriage as limited to unions between a man and a woman. The court was to decide if those laws violated provisions of the state constitution protecting equality. The court ruled that they did.

The issue of gay marriage is so critical because so many same-sex partners do not receive the same benefits as opposite-sex partners. The most essential benefit for most is health-care coverage. While 53 percent of the Fortune 500 companies still offer healthcare benefits for same-sex domestic partners (Human Rights Campaign data), that means 47 percent don't. Offering these benefits is a requirement for The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list® .

To find out more about these benefits and read the story of Steelcase CEO James P. Hackett, who pushed for more than a decade to get healthcare benefits for domestic partners at his company, read the June issue of DiversityInc magazine.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom put the marriage debate in the national spotlight by allowing same-sex couples to get married at City Hall in 2004. California's justices halted that wedding spree and voided the 4,037 marriage licenses while sidestepping the core constitutional question. They ruled the mayor did not have authority to make marriage law.

"Today the California Supreme Court took a giant leap to ensure that everybody--not just in the state of California, but throughout the country--will have equal treatment under the law," City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who argued the case for San Francisco, told MSNBC.com.

A major study released in 2006 by the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at UCLA School of Law detailed the many benefits for corporate America from recognizing marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. Read the results on DiversityInc.com.

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