McGrath, what you seem to be advancing is the idea of 'separate but
equal.' As was fairly well established during the effort to desegregate
American society, there really is no such thing. Separate, by legal
mandate, is inherently unequal.

By limiting same-sex couples to 'civil unions' you limit their
ability to call themselves 'married' in all sorts of documents
(such as deeds). For example, when taking out a deed on a property
it will read "Joseph Smith, a single man and Michael Smith a single
man" rather than "Joseph and Michael Smith, a married couple."

They are not being treated equally in civil society, because they
cannot use the term which best describes their relationship---
"married."

And that, sir, is absolutely a denial of a very important
civil right.