Separate, Unequal

I see where judges in New Jersey have weaseled out of the gay marriage/civil union decision, tossing it over to the legislators. Oh right, we can certainly trust state governments to do the right and just thing. Do we not remember a little fiasco called "separate but equal" in our very recent past? Apparently many of us do not...

Soooo, if civil unions between same-sex partners are approved and they are denied actual marriage and the use of the m-words, how is that different from sitting in the separate-but-equal back of the bus, drinking from the separate-but-equal water fountains and attending separate-but-equal schools?

And how the bleeding hell does allowing same-sex couples to get married with all the bells and whistles affect or demean or diminish or have any effect whatsofreakinever on heterosexual marriage?

The answer is, it doesn't. And it mustn't.