A civil union is a legally recognized relationship between members of a same-sex couple, with rights similar to those of a marriage relationship.
In Texas, civil unions are not legally recognized. Texas law defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and this has been the case since the passage of a constitutional amendment in 2005. However, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, effectively granting same-sex couples in Texas the right to marry and receive all the associated state and federal benefits. As a result, same-sex couples in Texas can enter into a marriage rather than a civil union, which provides them with rights similar to those of heterosexual married couples.
