Timeline: Northern Ireland's same-sex marriage debate
The High Court in Belfast has dismissed two cases challenging Northern Ireland's ban on same-sex marriage.
Marriages between gay couples are neither legal nor recognised in the region and the two cases were the latest legal attempts to change that.
The Northern Ireland Assembly has seen several attempts to legalise same-sex marriage in recent years, all of which have failed.
BBC News NI looks at the story of the same-sex marriage debate in Northern Ireland so far.
17 Aug 2017