Civil Unions were a way to creat a lesser institution for gay people as befits our inherently lesser status, both real and perceived. That way, marriage is preserved only for the blessed heterosexual elect, because they are just so goldurned fabulous, and love martiage, and are just more important than us, our lives, and our families.

Straight people soon find that they like civil unions even more than marriage: easier to get into, easier to get out of, less obligations and responsibilities. A Perfect trial marriage without the marriage part.

And voila: the institution of marriage is undermined from within, by heterosexuals, all because marriage was not held to be the gold standard for EVERYONE. As with so much else in the digital age, good enough is now good enough.

The other unfortunate irony: we will be blamed for the bad behaviour of straight people. If they had allowed us to get married, as we asked, they would not have been in the unfortunate position of recognizing the moral and legal validity of our demand upon this legal institution, yet being unable to grant us equality because of bigotry and an often claimed, but otherwise wholly imaginary, sense of superiority.

Because THEIR morality did not match up to THEIR rhetoric, WE will blamed.