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As a lesbian with a partner of eleven years, I am as desirous as anyone of having my union recognized socially and legally. So it may seem strange that I think Keeley Markham's article is a wonderfully clear argument against the mandatory recognition of gay 'marriage'. But she has a point...our secular government has always had a problem with intentionally or unintentionally blurring the lines between private religious practice and public promotion of religious beliefs. That's why we have references to God on our coinage, and "under God" in our Oath of Allegiance, and why we lay our hands on The Holy Bible when we go to court and swear to tell the truth.

I believe that it makes the most sense to clarify the boundary between the State's legitimate interest in recognizing and regulating the consequences of formal unions, and the People's right to adhere to the religious and spiritual consequences of those unions. Making civil unions the default legal recognition of formal unions is sensible and straightforward. People who oppose gay marriage on religious grounds would lose the argument that the state is promoting deviant practices, and would be in the position of having to acknowledge that their views are based on religious belief. People who support gay marriage would no longer have to feel that the state is taking sides in an essentially religious debate, and would be free to seek a religious environment where marriage between same sex couples is permitted (and there are some).

Trying to force people to recognize gay marriages confuses the issue, and combines two separate problems into one unwieldy blob-the problems of obtaining legal rights, and of attaining social acceptance. I'm patient enough to accept that I may not be accepted by the majority of my fellow citizens in my life, but as long as I pay the same taxes and am subject to the same laws as everyone else, I'm more than ready to be recognized legally as one half of an eleven-year union.

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