Governor Jack Markell has signed a bill adding Delaware to the list of states that authorize the creation of civil unions for same-sex couples that have the same rights as married couples under state law. read article The list of states that recognizes civil unions now includes California, Delaware, Hawai`i, Illinois, Nevada,New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington. States that recognize domestic partnership arrangements that have more limited rights include Colorado, Maine, Maryland, and Wisconsin. read article
Jurisdictions that authorize same-sex marriage are Connecticut, District of Columbia, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont. In California, 18,000 couples were married before the constitutional amendment was approved abolishing same-sex marriage. New York and Maryland recognize marriages celebrated in states that recognize them. Rhode Island recognizes out-of-state same-sex marriages for some purposes, while California, Illinois, New Jersey, and New Mexico recognizes such marriages as civil unions. read article