I think one of the things I realized is that I want to have a legitimate marriage (like, a Catholic one) someday** and if I’ve already been married, it kinda screws that up. So, if we call gay marriages just marriages, then I can’t take advantage of the benefits without smudging my later legitimate marriage. If we called gay marriages a civil union, or some other name, then I wouldn’t have a problem ”marrying’ (with no big ceremony) my buddy to do him a favor and get him some good cheap healthcare (and make it cheaper for me too). Then, later on we can get divorced and even later I can really get married in a big ceremony and all that.
Wait... so wouldn't this be reason
to call it marriage? Leaving aside the whole segregation-is-wrong thing*, you've just outlined why calling it marriage would keep you from exploiting the system. So calling it marriage solves the personal problem you have with the idea.
*(One would think this would be the primary concern, but here we are.)
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