Gay marriage: an obvious solution

I have always felt that a simple solution to the gay marriage debate lies in redefining the government's role in sanctioning personal relationships. Legally, there should only be one option available to everyone. It would be called something like a civil union. If for religious reasons a couple decides that they would like to enter into some extra special god sanctioned relationship through their priest or robot overlord that would still be allowed. However, it would have no bearing on their legal relationship with the state.

This has two benefits:
1. It helps to further separate the government from religious activity and sanction which in my opinion would be good. This helps to kill the religious argument that gay marriage somehow dilutes the far superior hetero-marriages by treating them equally. Because 'marriage' would now be a private affair, it would be left up to individual churches and other community organizations to decide if they would like to offer the gift of marriage to all or not.
2. It makes it more obvious that those who are against gay marriage are against it for sinister homophobic motives, rather than moral "pro-family" reasons that they like to hide behind.

It should be noted that a number of mainstream churches and temples already perform marriage ceremonies for same sex couples.


This issue of equality also creates a better society in my opinion. If two people of the same sex love each other what harm does do anyone else if their relationship is codified in the law like any other? In fact, if marriage is such a good thing for society how does precluding homosexuals from the practice harm society? They already live together, and if anything legal marriage would only help to bring them into mainstream society. A gay friend of mine once mentioned how hurtful it would be to her that I could marry anyone tomorrow regardless of love and she wouldn't be able to marry the love of her life, possibly ever. I don't plan to marry anytime soon but I can't argue with the point. From my perspective any marrage I enter into would be more legitimate and not less if she were allowed to marry as well. I hope the path of history is on her side. I fear otherwise.