Civil unions are like marriages, except they deny the couple federal recognition, as well as use of the word "marriage." They may also deny specific rights at the state level, such as the right to use your spouse's surname.
As of February 2014, civil unions (also called domestic partnerships) are available statewide in 3 states: Colorado, Nevada, and Oregon. There is also a limited domestic partnership available in Wisconsin, as well as some cities and counties around the country.
Yes and no: yes, if your civil union and marriage are both to the same person; no if they are to different people and both are recognized in your state. If you are in a state where your civil union is not recognized and you are married to a different person (presumably one of the opposite sex), then your civil union does not legally exist, only your marriage does.
No. A civil union and legal marriage are two different things. If you perform a civil union, then you end up with a civil union, not a same-sex marriage. The only exception is in the states that used to permit only civil unions, but now allow same-sex marriages. In some of those states, existing civil unions were automatically converted to marriages. In at least one other state (Vermont), civil unions remained civil unions and no new civil unions were permitted.
Depending upon where you live, it is either marriage, civil union, civil partnership or domestic partnership.
Marriage is a type of legal union. Depending upon the laws of your jurisdiction, other types of legal union may include "civil union," "domestic partnership," "civil partnership," or "designated beneficiary relationship."
In states where civil unions are legally recognized, "civil union partner" (or "partner in civil union") is the legal term for what would otherwise be called a "spouse" (i.e. husband or wife) in a legal marriage.
Civil unions are not legally called "marriages" and partners in a civil union are not legally called "spouses." That is the only difference between a civil union and a legal marriage.
In Oklahoma, a civil union is not recognized by the state, while marriage is legally recognized and provides couples with legal rights and responsibilities. Marriage offers additional legal benefits and protections, such as inheritance rights, access to healthcare decisions, and eligibility for tax benefits, that are not available to couples in a civil union.
No, it is a lesser category of formalised relationship - a sort of second-class marriage.
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When you indicate that you are in a civil union with another Facebook member, you are saying that you have been joined in civil union with that person. "Civil Union" is a term that some states (HI, IL, NJ, DE) use to describe a legally recognized relationship between to members of the same gender that is identical to marriage, but not called "marriage." Instead, it is called "civil union."
No. It's one of the rights of marriage that is denied to people with civil unions.
In states where civil unions are legally recognized, "civil union partner" (or "partner in civil union") is the legal term for what would otherwise be called a "spouse" (i.e. husband or wife) in a legal marriage.