I gave you my answer. At a population of about 360,000,000 people in the United States and using a conservative 5% figure that means there are potentially 18,000,000 homosexuals in this country.
For some it's absolutely about equal treatment under the law, for others it can be about "social validation". For me, it's about the reason I cited.
You made a claim that is untrue, now you are diverting and and trying to make it about me instead of showing how all those things can be done for the same $50 cost of a Civil Marriage license (and some or all of the items I listed can be recreated at all)
You've had your answer, it's not my problem that you don't like it.
>>>>
You answered the question you wanted asked, not the one that was asked. That isn't answering the question, it's evading it. You do correctly sense a trap, but trying to evade it doesn't save you from it. Obviously those things are not what drive liberals to gay marriage, it's overwhelmingly the validation. Which is why even you realize it belongs in the legislature if you're honest. QED on that point. Though it literally fails the equal protection clause anyway since being gay does not change how you are treated under the law, it only changes how you want to be treated which isn't covered in the Constitution.
As to your question. Obviously I knew everything on your list when I said it. And you know I'm not an idiot. So I find your badgering tone of apparent cluelessness on why I made the claim a bit odd. I would not disrepect you like that, I know you're not an idiot. I would think you are capable of the same courtesy. So now that we have the real issue, validation out of the way, let's move to the trivialities for sport.
These are government practices which are created by the same liberals who are demanding gay marriage and I have no reason to let them out of their trap.
No one should pay these taxes. The death tax is just evil
1. tax free transfer of real property to a spouse
2. exemption from the Estate Tax applicable to the sale of a primary home
These are unconstitutional violations of the 10th amendment.
6. relationship recognized under the Family Medical Leave Act so that a person can care for their spouse (or be cared for by them) in times of medical emergency.
7. Without Civil Marriage there is tax penalty for employer provided health insurance for a spouse of the same gender. (Same-sex Civilly Married couples are charged this extra tax on employer benefits where Different-sex Civilly Married couples are not.)
8. Civil Marriage establishes a family relationship under Social Security whereby the surviving spouse can receive benefits at the working spouses rate if higher then their own.
These while technically true are nailing brads with a sledge hammer. Furthermore, with the decline of government marriage in this country, we need to re-think our paternity laws and responsibilities anyway. Gays are no different in that regard.
3. Without Civil Marriage there is no spousal privilege in the case of a criminal prosecution.
4. Without Civil Marriage there is no burial for a spouse in a National Cemetery next to a spouse who was an honorably serving veteran of the United States.
5. Without Civil Marriage there is no assumed parenthood upon the birth of a child. A $50 marriage license does, for non-Civilly Married couples it would require a formal adoption costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
9. Civil Marriage establishes a family relationship where a spouse can then sponsor their spouse for immigration purposes.
10. Not being Civilly Married allows for other relatives to step in and challenge a will under probate court and in some states allows those family members to over ride the decrees of the will.