The legal/tax rights are huge though and shouldn't be discounted. If I die the all my investments, property and everything rolls over to my wife tax free. We can split pensions, share health benefits and all those things as well.
The fight for gay marriage isn't just the "piece of paper" or recognition of the sanctity in front of god (if that's your belief). It's about applying all of the other major benefits in an equal and just manner.
A lot of us on this board are too young to see the ramifications of this in action, but on death the marriage/common-law contract is huge in terms of dollars. The ramifications for gays and lesbians can mean that homes and businesses are sold because their partner dies and they have no choice, where a hetero-sexual couple in the exact same circumstance doesn't have that issue.
Anyway, I usually steer way clear of these threads. I don't want to argue the morality of these relationships (most of you can guess if you see me in other threads anyway!). I just wanted to note a few of the reasons why this is a much bigger issue than the theological discusssions.
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