Gay rights battle not just about marriage

[CShine]

WASHINGTON -- When the U.S. Supreme Court threw out Texas' sodomy ban last year, Justice Antonin Scalia furiously predicted a "massive disruption of the current social order" and warned that barriers to gay marriage would be next to fall. Gay and lesbian marriage advocates, already armed with several state court cases, swore they'd prove the justice right.

Welcome to the great American gay marriage battle, in which gay activists say they have already won considerable concessions as they compare their struggle to the push to allow interracial marriage decades ago. In this corner: joyous gay and lesbian couples, backed by their families, friends and lawyers, demanding marriage licenses and taking their vows. And in this corner: religious and social conservatives, with the blessing of President Bush, pushing a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a right reserved for heterosexuals.

But Bush, in his election-year decision to join the debate, quietly conceded major ground. Even if a constitutional amendment were to pass, which is considered unlikely, the president said he favors letting states decide whether to recognize civil unions for same-sex couples. The result could be unprecedented recognition of gay and lesbian couples and families -- and eventually, a significant increase in their legal rights.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/2438007