16 Facts About Civil unions

Civil unions union is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples.

In Brazil, civil unions were first created for opposite-sex couples in 2002, and then expanded to include same-sex couples through a supreme court ruling in 2011.

Terms used to designate civil unions are not standardized, and vary widely from country to country.

Civil unions are not seen as a replacement for marriage by many in the LGBT community.

Civil unions are commonly criticised as being 'separate but equal'; critics such as former New Zealand MP and feminist Marilyn Waring note that same-sex couples remain excluded from the right to marry and are forced to use a separate institution.

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Supporters of same-sex marriage contend that treating same-sex couples differently from other couples under the law allows for inferior treatment and that if civil unions were the same as marriage there would be no reason for two separate laws.

Some have suggested that creating civil unions which are open to opposite-sex couples would avoid the accusations of apartheid.

Proponents say that creating civil unions is a more pragmatic way to ensure that same-sex couples have legal rights as it avoids the more controversial issues surrounding marriage and the claim that the term has a religious source.

Many contend that the fact that civil unions are often not understood can cause difficulty for same-sex couples in emergency situations.

Civil unions were introduced in Denmark by law on 7 June 1989, the world's first such law, and came into effect on 1 October 1989.

Civil unions have been proposed in at least six states since 2006.

The debate over Civil Unions was highly divisive in New Zealand, inspiring great public emotion both for and against the passing.

Connecticut's civil unions were identical to marriage and provided all of the same rights and responsibilities except for the title.

In 2006 after a state Supreme Court ruling that same-sex couples must be extended all the rights and benefits of marriage, the Legislature passed a civil unions law, effective in 2007, which is an attempt to satisfy the court's ruling.

Controversial civil unions law that was passed in the Vermont General Assembly in 2000 was a response to the Vermont Supreme Court ruling in Baker v Vermont, requiring that the state grant same-sex couples the same rights and privileges accorded to married couples under the law.

However, despite the "full faith and credit" clause of the United States Constitution, civil unions are generally not recognized outside Vermont in the absence of specific legislation.