[XorNot]

Why would this be any business of the state? Why is it any business of yours how someone else defines the commitment of their long term relationship?

It's not my responsibility to advertise my belief system to you.

[eggbert12]

Good points. The state shouldn't be in it at all, because calling it marriage can be an infringement on the religious liberties of others. Civil unions are the state-sanctioned "legal pairing of two humans", and marriages are the religious term for civil unions - and come with religious expectations.

The state shouldn't be in the business of certifying christenings or bar mitzvahs, nor should it be in the business of marriage for the same exact reasons.