I find the debate over marriage equality in the United States to be inherently frustrating. Gays and lesbians fight for the right to be married and conservative groups argue that allowing these marriages would undermine the cornerstones of family values. Recently it seems that gay marriage is gaining traction in many states; however, I think that everyone should take a step back and consider what a marriage truly is.
Today, marriage has a legal definition: married couples are granted some rights that non-married couples are refused. This seems a bit odd to me because for most of history, marriage has been closely tied to religion. Religious groups have always chosen their own rituals and customs for marriage and historically have rejected same-sex couples from their marriage rituals. What I cannot seem to understand is why in a country that recognizes separation of church and state, marriage and law are intertwined.
The United States should grant civil unions to couples who wish to receive legal benefits. Establishing these legally recognized partnerships would eliminate any rational basis for governmental discrimination against any group, gay or straight. Couples who are religious should also be able to choose to get married, but marriage should be defined within the context of religions and should carry no legal weight. This way, religions can provide any criteria for marriage that they so choose, marriages would just carry no legal weight.
I think that to some these steps may seem radical, but I feel that this is the only reasonable and just way to address discrimination and permanently resolve the marriage debate.
