Give Civil Unions ALL THE SAME RIGHTS as Marriage

It's almost 2009--and it's just plain wrong that all men (and women) still aren't created equal.

I support gay marriage and gay rights and I don't understand how so many people can vote to take rights away from other people. Or how a simple majority can remove those rights. What's next--blonds can't marry brunettes?

If your religious beliefs tell you that gays shouldn't get married--then don't get married if you are gay. But don't oppress other people. That's NOT what Jesus would do.

But let's stop fighting over semantics and get to the heart of the matter--restoring basic civil rights to at least 10% of Americans!

I HAVE A SIMPLE SOLUTION: GIVE CIVIL UNIONS ALL THE SAME RIGHTS AS MARRIAGE.

Let's stop fighting over the word "marriage." Not separate, just EQUAL.

In fact, the government shouldn't be in the marriage business at all. Anybody joined in union in a courthouse, straight or gay, gets a civil union. Anyone joined in union in a church is "married." Same thing, different names.

That's just the first step. But it can be done quickly and with less backlash from the unenlightened.

The next step is to make sure everybody can also get married--but in the mean time, the point is to ensure that everybody has the same RIGHTS, if not the same words.