Facebook Recognizes Same Sex Civil Unions And Domestic Partnerships Even Though Most Governments Do Not

Facebook has added two new options to its relationship status updates –“in a civil union” and “in a domestic partnership,” according to the Huffington Post. The new field was introduced Thursday in several countries, including Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. "This has been a highly requested feature from users," said Facebook's Andrew Noyes, manager of public policy communications. "We want to provide options for people to genuinely and authentically reflect their relationships on Facebook."The changes were made in consultation with Facebook's Network of Support, a group that includes LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] organizations such as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, and the Human Rights Campaign. "As LGBT people face a patchwork of relationship recognition laws, this gives people more tools to adequately describe their relationship," said Michael Cole-Schwartz, spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign. "Facebook has been a company that has tried to be inclusive of the LGBT community and this just one sign of it."