Same-sex union legislation legislation of unregistered cohabitation was introduced in the Netherlands in June 1979. However, the first substantial recognition of same-sex couples didn't occur before the introduction of a new legal form, that of registered partnerships, which was first enacted in Denmark in June 1989. Many countries have followed with similar legislation since then. Legislation of these forms of legal unions still occur with a variety of different names, even after the introduction of same sex marriage, although sometimes they are overwritten by subsequent legislation of same-sex marriage. There are currently seventeen countries that have an alternative form of legal recognition other
Same-sex marriage in the United States provide only limited benefits to married same-sex couples living in states where same-sex marriage was not legal. Effective March 27, 2015, the definition of spouse under the "Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993" includes employees in a same-sex marriage regardless of state of residence. Following the "Obergefell" decision, the Justice Department extended all federal marriage benefits to married same-sex couples nationwide. The federal government recognizes the marriages of same-sex couples who married in certain states in which same-sex marriage was legal for brief periods between the time a court order allowed such couples to marry and that court order