This article was passed along to me today:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/world/europe/16france.html?_r=1&hp

I can't help but wonder at Civil Unions. I mean, just look at the comments on the article wondering how many couples "upgrade to marriage", saying it's for "commitment phobes" and so on and so on.

The commentors are automatically equating civil unions and marriage or pointing out the legal difference between the two without taking that further step and reasoning out why many gay couples aren't satisfied with the "separate but equal"-ness that civil unions have about them. It even plainly states in the article that civil unions confer most but not all of the rights of traditional marriage upon those that enter into it.

I get that some people don't want the full contract of marriage, but notice that most of those couples mentioned were heterosexual...in other words those to whom marriage is automatically available. So civil unions open up more options for heterosexual couples and only ever-so-slightly raise the legitimacy of homosexual relationships.

So, we're stuck with this as an option. We're settling, in other words. And, once we get this right it's turned against us in an argument running thus, "You have civil unions, why can't you be happy with that?"

-Because it's not the same.
-Because most states don't recognize civil unions.
-Because most states don't recognize civil unions granted in other states.
-Because it's only a fraction of state-given rights as compared to civil marriage.
-Because there are no federal rights granted with a civil union.
-Because there are no consistent guidelines for a 'divorce' from civil unions.

Those are just some of the reasons I won't settle for one....no matter how appealing.

Most of us are now aware of the legal battles and disputes that have occurred and continue to flame the differences between the Gay and Heterosexual Communities since the birth of Prop 8. The religious, secular, and political, communities have voiced their opinions and the legal outcome is yet to be determined by a higher court. California, The United States, and the World awaits the outcome of this legal battle which in many respects has set a precedent and perhaps shined light on some very outdated, prejudiced, bigoted beliefs. With that
said, within the complexity of the issues, lies a blatantly obvious misnomer that has been adopted to define the Gay Community’s fight for marriage equality.

The Gay Community’s stance and feverish fight to have equal legal rights under the definition of “marriage” has been mislabeled “Same Sex Marriage.” This title is being used   Read More »

From CBS News:

Forty-two percent of Americans now say same sex couples should be allowed to legally marry, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds. That's up nine points from last month, when 33 percent supported legalizing same sex marriage.

Support for same sex marriage is now at its highest point since CBS News starting asking about it in 2004.

See Unite the Fight's post on CBS News' earlier poll for comparison.

This reflects others polls, such as New Hampshire voters supporting marriage equality by 55% (which will hopefully send a strong message to New Hampshire's senate which will vote on a same-sex marriage bill tomorrow), as well as anti-gay Gary Randall's poll which indicated, to Randall's chagrin, that Washington state also supports full marriage equality by 43%.   Read More »