Separate is by its very nature not equal. Same Sex Marriage is most certainly a civil rights issue, just as interracial marriage was not too long ago. Telling a group of people they can not marry the person they love and are in a relationship with seems a bit more like hate than love to me. I know no one likes to be told they are being hateful, but the very act of voting on the private lives and most personal of decisions a couple seems more filled with fear than with love. At least for 18 thousand couples in California gay marriage is legal. During the campaign on measure 8 supporters said they didn't want to undo the marriages already performed yet days after the measure past they sought to have those marriages annulled. It is really hard to accept that they want gay and lesbian folks to have all the same rights just not use the word marriage. Domestic Partners in California have similar rights as married couples but not the same rights. Perhaps the real solution here is to end marriage in California. Leave the word marriage to the church and from this point forward have the government only sanction civil unions and domestic partnerships for any couple or group of people who wish to enter into this legal contract.