Under California law, “domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections, and benefits” as married spouses. (Family Code § 297.5.) There is not a single thing under California state law that same-sex couples have been denied except (by the passage of Proposition 8) a declaration of law that their relationships are exactly the same as heterosexual relationships. Yet in the wake of Prop. 8 we have seen nation-wide protests (including reports of vandalism, harassment, intimidation, and coercion).Why? Because this is no longer (and perhaps never has been) a fight about rights but rather values. Same-sex couples can already have happy, committed relationships that have meaning, significance, and permanence without a piece of paper. However, the homosexual community wants their unions to be valued by society just as much as we value our own marriages and those of our parents. This is not a battle for rights, but for the minds and beliefs of the American people.
Please note, this has nothing to do with the value of the individual. Every homosexual is just as valuable as any other person in virtue of their humanity and inherent dignity. But I do not esteem a homosexual relationship as equal to a heterosexual marriage. (There is nothing wrong with this distinction. I do not esteem my relationship with my sister as equally valuable as that between my parents, but this does not mean I value her as a person any less than either of my parents.)
Consider my prediction and see if it doesn't hold true: this battle will continue to rage until our government, churches, organizations, and society at large value the homosexual union equally to heterosexual marriage. The fight begins with government because government has the ability to force churches and organizations to recognize what it recognizes (or shut them down if they refuse). And through our churches and organizations, they can begin to change the way our communities (and society as a whole) think and talk about marriage.
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