>Why do you seem so unwilling to believe that civil unions do not
>equal marriage in the US?
>A marriage license, like a drivers license, fishing license, or
>business license cannot be denied because of race, gender, sexual
>orientation, age blah,blah, blah
It isn't that I don't believe they do not equal marriage, I accept what Doug says about it being a social ritual that is important to some people. So a different word conveys a different impression. For the present.
I'm questioning why civil unions can't provide equal legal rights. If drafted to do so. Obviously there's still a cultural difference. But that's a different issue. Why not let those heterosexual couples who want it have their "marriage"? Its only a word.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas