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
Cohabitation in the United States Partners Registry, granting them limited legal recognition and some rights similar to those of married couples. Two states, Mississippi and Michigan, have laws on their books against cohabitation by opposite-sex couples. Anti-cohabitation laws are often not enforced although until recently, cohabitants were regularly being charged with misdemeanors in Florida. On March 22, 2016, the Florida legislature voted to repeal the state's ban on cohabitation. The Florida Governor Rick Scott signed the bill into law on 6 April 2016. Many legal scholars believe that in light of in "Lawrence v. Texas", such laws making cohabitation illegal are unconstitutional (North Carolina Superior