I personally beleive it will be shown that civil unions are not equal to marriage. And I beleive it is more than just the gay community wanting to be accepted. I can't say this with certainty but I beleive civil unions can not cross state lines, meaning if a gay couple were to get a civil union in california if they go to another state which doesn't have civil unions they would not be guaranteed the same rights. The only way to get the full rights everywhere is to be married which I believe is protected on a federal level.
I also heard those same arguments of "well they can have civil unions so it's the same thing but they just cant use the word marriage." But the thing is the government decided to give people these rights using that particular word, "marriage." So the gay community unfortunately has to use that vocabulary in legislation to gain full rights in this country, which is what is making the conservative religious right so angry. If the government decided to call it "salty balls" I'm sure the gay community would be going about getting their rights through that vocabulary, so I truly beleive it isn't just a matter of wanting the recognition of society and being accepted. That should come secondary, they simply just don't want to be second class citizens with second class rights.
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