re: #155 researchok

The GOP shares part of the blame, to be sure.

Still, I haven’t seen the Dems or even leaders of the gay community make those distinctions. As a result, you have a solid misreading of what marriage/matrimony means across the board. The religious right is only exploiting an opening.

The vast majority of people who support civil unions of both conservative and more liberal persuasions would be pro marriage if the distinctions were properly explained (e.g., Clinton, Obama, et al.

That’s an interesting point, although I would make two observations:

A) “Democratic leaders” are faced with a bunch of lunatics who will repeatedly lie in order to get their policies approved. It’s not entirely surprising that they shy away from making somewhat technical distinctions between different abstract systems for recognizing social bonds when the opposition is shouting DEATH PANELS and GAY PEDOPHILES all the time.

B) “Gay leaders” are also not necessarily going to be all that keen on reassuring people in backwards religions that they are welcome to carry on with their bigoted ways, all the gays want is civil marriage. “Hey, it’s OK, Mohammed - you can still think I’m a pervert who will burn in hell. I just want the tax breaks.”