Same Sex Something Else

In a recent conversation I had with a friend the hot topic of Gay Marriage came into the conversation when I mentioned my gay Human Sexuality teacher being against gay marriage. My undisclosed friend supported my professors' statement and later went on to add that same sex marriage should have a different name.

I blatantly objected. His point, coming from a straight-white-male-Christian-middle class family was that gays should claim their commitment to each other under a different title. Although not actually being against homosexuality his statement does imply homophobia in some degree.

I believe my friend fails to see that if same sex marriages were to be called something other than marriage then they would not be treated the same as marriage. You might assume this is a slippery slope fallacy because I have no reason to believe it wouldn't be treated the same except for the fact that separate but equal does not work under any circumstances.

Are we really to believe that a same sex marriage not called marriage would receive the same civil benefits straight marriages do once law makers begin working their way around the new word. All tax, healthy insurance, and spouse privileges would undoubtedly be skewed against them in the eyes of the law.

 this links to a website on gender discrimination