>On Tue, Feb 10, 2004 at 04:31:53PM -0500, Doug Henwood wrote:
>
>> Saying you're for "civil union" but not "marriage" is an admission
>> that you're going for a second-class institution. Press people on why
>> they make the distinction and the hem and haw and can't answer
>> because they can't bring themselves to admit to a prejudice.
>
>I make this distinction and it is pretty clear to me: "marriage" is
>for religion, "civil unions" are a specific type of contract
>recognized by the State.
I've been married twice, and neither time was a church involved. The first time was by a city clerk at the Manhattan municipal building; the second, by a judge in a French restaurant. Marriage is a matter of the state, and clergy are licensed to perform the task, but the certificate issued is a secular instrument.