Replace the term “marriage” with the term “civil union” in our laws so that marriage can be something churches do and all people will have the same civil rights under the law.
Why is this important?
I have worked as a family law legal assistant in California for nearly 20 years and I now believe marriage fails because it is based on religious ideals that do not fit everyone. Our U.S. Constitution's First Amendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...." If we replace the word "marriage" with "civil union" in our laws granting rights to married persons and let marriage be something churches do, we will separate church and state, and we will all have the same civil rights and religious freedom that the Constitution guarantees.
