Let's drop the whole issue of marriage and start considering the concept of legal civil unions.
As we've seen, the faith community is pretty adamant about the theological concept of marriage and as long as the gay community continues to fight to apply that term to its unions, they will receive significant opposition to attaining equal rights in their unions. In many countries around the world, most specifically in Europe, the government recognizes "civil unions" on the same level as traditional marriage. In doing so, those countries have overcome any opposition from the faith community. They may not like it, but they are willing to accept it.
Likewise, in California, polls have shown that the clear majority of voters would accept equal treatment between marriage and civil unions as long as the term remain separate.
Now we can start picking nits with a "separate but equal" argument but we have to ask, are we trying to get equal treatment under the law or legally imposed approval of a lifestyle. If you are going for the former, you have an easy path in front of you. If you want the latter, get ready to divide our communities even more.
People of faith who were on the Pro Prop 8 side need to think about this as well. You need to ask yourselves if you want to maintain the integrity of your theological terms, or do you want to impose a theocratic position on people who have not freely chosen your faith.
To me, it's a no brainer. Let's start working this out.
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I would completly support having the government give 'civil unions' to everyone, gay straight or whatever, then having the religious side be completely separate. I'v said that many times before. However what is important in this idea is that what the state grants and recognizes is the same. Because the word 'marriage' is important, and like it or not, loaded. As long as you deny that word to one couple, you are telling them that they somehow are not good enough. They don't count.
I can, have, and will continue to rant and rave about the injustice of the mob mentality, the ignorance and hatred on this issue, the absolutely terrifying concept that a simple majority can alter the constitution to take away the rights of a minority, but how's this?
I'm in the 'single trenches' out here, and man, it is *hard*. Finding that person is not easy, and you constantly want to give up. So if two people have found each other, and want to make a go of it, I can't imagine that being anything but beautiful, and telling them that they are somehow inferior, second class, well that just breaks my heart.
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