Are civil unions recognized by the federal government?
The short answer to the question of whether civil unions are recognized by the federal government is no. Civil unions are a legal partnership between two people of the same sex, providing them with many of the same legal rights and benefits associated with marriage. These legal rights and benefits are generally only recognized at the state and local level. In the state of Washington, civil unions are legally recognized, but they are still not recognized by the federal government. This means that couples in civil unions do not have access to federal benefits that married couples enjoy, such as filing taxes jointly or sharing Social Security or pension benefits. The federal government has been slow to recognize civil unions and marriages between same sex couples. This is mainly due to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which states that marriage is defined as a legal union between one man and one woman. It is still unclear whether the federal government will recognize civil unions under the current administration, though there are some promising signs of progress. In conclusion, civil unions are not recognized by the federal government. In the state of Washington, however, civil unions are legally recognized and provide the same legal rights and benefits as marriage. Even so, couples in civil unions are still denied access to federal benefits. Nevertheless, there is progress being made towards federal recognition of civil unions and marriage between same sex couples.
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