The state has an interest in many contracts and transaction of a civil nature, because they are the basis of torts and offenses.

The state has an interest in preventing abuse of unsuspecting victims, in this case, children.

The state has an interest in public health and in some states marriage used to require blood tetsts under civil law,

The state also regulates who is responsible for children, the nature of dependence, the duty of child support, etc. It also maintains public records of birth, death, marriage, etc.

So for all these reasons, the state gets involved with these things and with marriage.

The fact that the traditional heterosexual form of marriage has been outmoded by a higher order of honesty about relationships that could once not even be named, means that any definition of marriage in terms of the sex of the participants is a simple act of discrimination on those grounds. Which,, by rights, should be illegal.


A