Thanks to Sam:
http://www.npr.org/display_pages/features/feature_1694774.html
Proposed Constitutional Amendment

U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO) has proposed an amendment banning gay marriages. The text follows:

"Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution or the constitution of any State, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups."

SamLindsayLevine: as far as I can tell, Eli was incorrect when he stated that it allowed for civil unions, since it explicitly says nobody can require that "the legal incidents [of marriage] be conferred upon unmarried couples".
SamLindsayLevine: besides, we all know how well the doctrine of "seperate but equal" has worked before

The legal benefits of union are what I'm most concerned about. Frankly, I think there's no way in hell religious/social conservatives would allow a gay couple's union to be called marriage, as they would view it as blasphemous and an abomination. At the same time, there was a person in the editorial section today who commented that denying any couple marriage also denied them not only legal but social benefits too. What kind of status would a 'union' have in a community, as opposed to a 'marriage'? Would "Just United" carry the same weight as "Just Married"? Besides, if marriage is strictly confined to a union conducted in a church or between two members of a specific religion, that label serves to differentiate the religious from the non-religious, effectively opening the door for discrimination.

Think about that for a minute. Doesn't that potentially open the door to a theocracy? Would a 'united' presidential candidate stand a snowball's chance in hell of being elected? What about 'united' Congressmen and other elected officials? Christians are something like the majority of the country's population, I think - someone correct me if I'm wrong. Although many people are tolerant of different religions and lifestyles, I don't believe that religious affiliation and sexual orientation are things that should be broadcast to everyone on job application forms, background checks, legal documents, etc - those two topics are so divisive that they could provoke discrimination. Aren't those two of the topics banned from job interviews? (Other ones are marital status, health, future family plans, and the like) Hate to say it, but Sam's right - this opens up a whole 'nother can of worms.

-sigh- Of all the issues recently, this is going to be one of the most divisive... even though people should be focusing on other issues as well. I don't see an easy solution at hand; this one may take decades to resolve.