[marcus330i]

I understand the mentality of wanting to keep the "word" marriage reserved for traditional unions.....but words are powerful tools we use when describing ourselves. In order to have true equal rights then gays must be able to describe their unions in an equal way and convey all of the meaning embodied in that word "marriage". Anything less is a compromise and relegates gay unions to "less than" status. I also feel that the courts and not the vote of the people should be the vehicle for deciding such issues. There is an expression in poli science called "the tyranny of the majority" which basically warns that a majority of the people can abrogate the rights of the minority.

I find it ironic that so many Americans say the "sanctity of marriage" is threatened by gays. It seems to me that with a 50% divorce rate, adultery, broken homes, financial struggles of single parents, etc the heterosexual community can't claim they maintain superior custody of this institution.

Gay union and eventually marriage is here to stay and while it's not ironed out in the US yet it will be.

PS I'm gay.