States That Recognize Same-sex Unions

So which are the states in the U.S. that recognize same-sex marriages? Since 2004, Massachusetts has recognized same-sex marriage. In addition, California, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Vermont recognize legal unions. They are not called marriages, although these unions do afford partners all the rights and responsibilities of marriage under their individual state laws. The District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon, and Washington have also created legal unions for same-sex couples. These offer different subsets of the rights and responsibilities afforded to married couples under their state laws.