Defence of Civil Unions
From Andrew Sullivan
...the central meaning behind so-called "civil unions" - the only defense of them is that they are a device to maintain exclusion, especially when they are substantively identical to civil marriage. In that sense - same thing, different department - they're a text-book case of "separate but equal." If you're going to give gay couples the same rights as straight couples, why are you calling it something different? If both can drink the same water, why a different water fountain? The only answer can be: to keep the stigma in place.
