DOMA and Prop 8. Both History.

[LochnarITB]

I have the answer. Return marriage to what it truly is, a religious institution. Throw out any law that references marital status. Throw out any lawsuit against any entity for refusing to perform a marriage ceremony or provide the venue and services. Problem solved, easy peasy .

Easy peasy eh?

Of course not. Thus the dodgy "yeah, right" emoticon.

It was of major importance to me that when my husband died, I was automatically the owner of our home and had automatic use of his assets, without waiting for probate. It was of huge importance to me and my children that when my husband lay dying in a hospital emergency unit, I was consulted on what was to happen next. The children were automatically mine to make education and other decisions about.

Of course it was important. But those are still legal issues, issues whose outcome is determined by a legal contract. That contract is the marriage license. As you alluded to below, religion has come to claim ownership of the word marriage. The majority of those against same-sex equality, here in the US, seem to be objecting on religious beliefs with such brain dead slogans as "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve". When voters vote to create laws based on their beliefs rather than the legal ramifications, we have a huge short circuit in the separation of church and state. They are building discrimination into our legal system. I have no answer how to get the general populace to make the shift of thought, but it can be done. Imagine the uproar if all these protests and laws were against the validity of mixed race marriages. The US will get there, but it will take work and struggle just as all important transformations do.

As DeeBye said above, I think my country got it right.

If not right, the Canadian people (which I believe to be generally more intelligent, as a whole, than those of the US) have certainly allowed the most logical compromise possible. You essentially have a search and replace substituting civil union for marriage in any existing law affected by or affecting marriage. It is what I believe the US must work toward, but it will take time for the US populace to achieve the enlightenment of our neighbors to the north.