Monday, January 5, 2009  why is gender difference disqualifying
of same sex marriage?  I read stuff like this post from Helen,
the latest in the loooong series on Culture11 considering same
sex marriage, and I find myself debating what exactly is
important and what is debating semantics. It can get a little
deep in the weeds.  Here's the thing: I don't, actually, care
what you call it. Some people have suggested that the way to go
is to actually turn every civil marriage into a civil union, and
to let religious institutions designate whatever couplings they
find legitimate marriages. This strikes me as a good suggestion,
and one that elides the kind of definition-changing that many
conservative opponents of gay marriage find so scary. I've read
that some proponents of gay marriage say that they will sue for
the right to be married by particular denominations or churches
if given the legal right to marry, though this may be just
scare-tactics from those opposed to same sex marriage. I hope
that's the case, as