Seawytch
Information isnt Advocacy
Marriage in "theory" has pretty much existed throughout history, in every society and religion, but the "specific term" marriage is a religious construct and the "legal" shit got attached to it at some point - I don't think it was even America, Greece, Egypt maybe... I'm not sure what all of the foreign language terms are, but /we/ English speakers translate it as "marriage" because the word itself, regardless of religious past history or belief, conveys a specific set of "legal rights" in a single term (ranging from medical care, financial care, to burial rights.)
Out of "respect" for religious folks, I'm personally willing to change the actual word used (I'm not sure why we /can't/ just do that and out the fucking bigots for what they are - I've heard it's paperwork, but shit how hard is ctrl-f "Marriage" ctrl-v "<whatever new term>"?), but the "idea," the "legal rights" conveyed, and the constitutional right of homosexual's to marry in our country must not be infringed upon by religious bullshit.
Shit like this is pretty much why I'm not, and probably never will be, a Republican; hypocritical bullshit like this is just as fucking bad as the Democrats, and perhaps worse for it's blatant attack on the freedoms of "certain" Americans. Shit has me angry enough this year that I'm prob. going to end up voting Dem., that hurts because we could seriously use some fiscal responsibility right now... Instead of just realizing that their crap is religious and shouldn't be in government, they gotta keep pushing, gotta try to make it illegal - all the while bitching and moaning that the "gay mofia" is pushing. It's total crap and they know it, but do it anyway. Sad.
Our religious freedom is something a lot of secular people simply have indifference to. I have always been in favor of some kind of civil unions to replace traditional marriage as far as government recognizing domestic partnership. I think that resolves the issue for all involved to the best we can hope to ever resolve it. And no, I don't want some "separate but equal" thing for gays, I said a replacement for all things "marriage" related to government or legal matters.
Right...you've "always" advocated for such a thing. "Always" as in as soon as gays started winning.
Nothing stopping you from getting it changed. Everyone will still call it marriage.