legal recognition. Proponents also say that creating civil unions is a more pragmatic way to ensure that same-sex couples have legal rights as it avoids the more controversial issues surrounding marriage and the claim that the term has a religious source. Many supporters of same-sex marriage state that the word 'marriage' matters and that the term 'civil union' (and its equivalents) do not convey the emotional meaning or bring the respect that comes with marriage. Former US Solicitor General and attorney in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case Theodore Olsen said that recognizing same-sex couples under the term 'domestic partnership' stigmatizes gay people's relationships, treating them as if they were "something akin to a commercial venture, not a loving union". Many also contend that the fact that civil unions are often not understood can cause difficulty for same-sex couples in emergency situations. List of jurisdictions recognizing same-sex unions but not same-sex marriage As of August 13, 2022, the states that provide civil unions but not marriage for same-sex couples are: Bolivia Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Estonia Greece Hungary Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Monaco Montenegro the Netherlands state of Aruba San Marino the British territories of Bermuda and Cayman Islands List of jurisdictions recognizing same-sex unions The following is a list of countries and other jurisdictions which have established civil unions for same-sex couples or opposite-sex couples, categorized by continent, with the year in which the law establishing civil unions in the listed country or other jurisdiction came into effect in brackets: Africa (2006, civil partnership) () (2007) (1999) () (2003) (1998) (2008) Americas : (2015, ) (2003, ) (2003, ) City of Villa Carlos Paz (2007, ) City of Río Cuarto (2009, ) (2011, opposite sex since 2003, ) : (2004, common-law relationships) (2001, domestic partnership) (2002, ) (2003, adult interdependent relationships) (2015, ) (2009, ) (1995, ) (2014, ) () (1999) (1999) (1999) (1999) (1999) (1999) : (2007, ) Mexico City (2007, ) (2013, ) (2015, ) (2017, ) (2020, ) (2021, ) Netherlands: () (2012) (2021) United Kingdom: (2017, civil partnership) (2018, domestic partnership) (2020, civil partnership) : (reciprocal beneficiary relationships since 1997, civil unions since 2012) City of (1998, domestic partnership) (1999, domestic partnership) (2002, domestic partnership) (2004, domestic partnership) (domestic partnership since 2004, civil union since 2006) (2007, domestic partnership) (2008, domestic partnership) (2008, domestic partnership) (designated beneficiary agreement since 2009, civil union since 2013) (2009, domestic partnership)