A reciprocal beneficiary is a type of legal arrangement that is offered in some states, such as
Hawaii, whereby
two non-married people can assign some, but not all, of the
rights of married couples to one another.
John and
Matt were a gay
couple in Hawaii, but could not legally marry each other or form a civil union/domestic partnership. So
Matt designated John as his reciprocal beneficiary to at least get a few rights.