However misleading, the conflation of the two groups has political and legal benefits for Obama.
No one should have to get married to access legal benefits and responsibilities, either.
The marriage movement emerged out of this maelstrom, but it was always about more than legal benefits.
Resolution, a group of family lawyers, say the legal benefits of marriage should be extended to unmarried cohabiting couples.
"But if people choose to be homosexual that's their right, and they should get legal benefits and all those things".
But they all support extending legal benefits to domestic partners of gays, and some explicitly support same-sex civil unions.
In essence, Mr. Florio supports private contracts that would extend the legal benefits of marriage to same-sex couples.
Civil partnerships already provide all the legal benefits of marriage so there's no need to redefine marriage.
The ceremonies are to include a certificate and a flower bouquet, but no marriage license or legal benefits.
Beyond the legal benefits, Mr. Massaro said that making same-sex marriage a social norm would help them navigate the ups and downs of life.
Civil unions in California, as in seven other states, give same-sex couples all of the legal benefits and burdens of marriage while withholding only the name.
