A civil union is a legally recognized relationship between members of a same-sex couple, with rights similar to those of a marriage relationship.
As of my knowledge cutoff in 2023, Kansas does not legally recognize civil unions. The state only recognizes marriage, which is defined as a union between two individuals, regardless of their sex, following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015. This landmark ruling legalized same-sex marriage across all states, rendering the specific legal framework of civil unions largely redundant for same-sex couples seeking recognition of their relationship. Therefore, in Kansas, same-sex couples have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples, and through marriage, they can access all the state-level and federal benefits, protections, and responsibilities that the institution confers.