IM-deeply-humble-O, the whole hang up about civil union (CU) vs. marriage (M) is the idea of "separate but equal", which I believe is a red herring. The only thing making it "separate" is terminology. In the eyes of the law, CU = M. In the eyes of some people in the gay community, CU < M because M is not available to them. They won't give up until the term Marriage loses any sense of gender specificity. That is not possible.

Picture this scenario: It's the late 1800s and the Women's Suffrage Movement is in full swing. What if the opposition had allowed them the "right to cast ballots" in 1895 instead of "the right to vote", which actually happened in 1920. Would they have accepted it or refused and pressed on with their cause to get the exact word they wanted written into law?