I think Ake would reply that, if you don't feel it does, it does not. But he asserts that some people believe the map and the territory are inextricably bound together, and for them, entering into a state of marriage MEANS they are heterosexual and not of the same gender.

Here are a few civil definitions:

the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)

two people who are married to each other; "his second marriage was happier than the first"; "a married couple without love"

the act of marrying; the nuptial ceremony; "their marriage was conducted in the chapel"

a close and intimate union; "the marriage of music and dance"; "a marriage of ideas"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Marriage is a relationship and bond, most commonly between a man and a woman, that plays a key role in the definition of many families. Precise definitions vary historically and between and within cultures, but it has been an important concept as a socially sanctioned bond in a sexual relationship. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage

The state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress and two slaves, making in all, two.
www.answers.com/topic/the-devil-s-dictionary

There are others which include the notion of sanctity of union between man and woman. But this is outside the bounds of the civil registration of marriage or any bounds the civil authority could put on it, unless they want to legally discriminate against people on the basis of their sex.

At present, such discrimination is generally illegal.

The church, however, can grant its title of marriage according to whatever torsion it cares to apply to the meaning.


A