Relationship Recognition
All people deserve the opportunity to enter into a loving relationship with a long-term partner and to create a family and a home. Unfortunately, the legal protections that go along with relationship recognition and family units are not a reality for most LGBT Americans. Here’s the State of Equality on statewide laws that recognize same-sex relationships.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| States that afford the freedom to marry to all caring, committed couples. | States with statutes that make available to same-sex couples virtually all of the legal protections of marriage, but not the dignity and societal respect that accompanies the term “marriage.” | States with very limited legal protections associated with marriage. | States that recognize out-of-state marriages entered into by same-sex couples, but do not allow same-sex couples to marry. | No statewide recognition, or legal protections of marriage for same-sex couples. |
| 5 states | DC 5% of US population | 5 states | 19% of US population | 4 states | 4% of US population | 3 states | 7% of US population | 32 states | 62% of US population |
| (CT, MA, VT, IA, NH, DC) | (”Civil Unions:” NJ) (”Domestic Partnerships:” CA, OR, NV) (WA is subject to referendum) |
(”Domestic Partnerships:” ME, WI) (”Reciprocal Beneficiaries:” HI, CO) | (NY, RI, MD) |