Reply #3: The issue is more divisive in some states than others. IMO many who oppose "gay marriage" accept

[jody]

"a civil contract between two persons".

It seems to me a compromise is possible that leaves "marriages" to religious institutions each with their special spin on such things as divorce, e.g. Roman Catholic Church", and letting civil courts deal with legal issues involving civil contracts between two persons.

Note a marriage may or may not include a "a civil contract between two persons" because today some senior citizens are being married in churches and living together as cohabiting seniors
because civil contracts simply aren't financially practical for some senior citizens.

That creates an interesting possibility, "civil contract without marriage" versus "marriage without civil contract".