McGrath, I think that depends on where you are. In the UK, if it is correct (as I gather) that civil unions and marriages have the same legal rights, then you are entirely correct. In the US, where "marriage" has a legal meaning restricted to unions of a woman and a man, and numerous legal entitlements are directly tied to membership in a marriage, then it is very much a freedom and rights issue.

What is the old saying - "two nations divided by a single language"?