THE WORD "MARRIAGE": USA Today

..."Our coalition is not opposed to domestic partnership laws, like those in California, that are decided by the legislatures," says Matt Daniels, president of the Alliance for Marriage, one of several groups behind the constitutional amendment.

But the California law, which will extend most marital rights to same-sex couples next year, is not enough, gay activists say. On Sunday, San Francisco officials continued to issue marriage permits to gay couples in defiance of a state law barring same-sex marriage. Like almost every state, California defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Legal efforts to stop San Francisco's actions are to be heard in court on Tuesday.

David Sang, president of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, said domestic partnership laws like California's offer little protection for couples who move to other states. "We need more than a series of state laws" he said. "It comes down to how we as a nation define marriage and define families." ...

Others suspect that definition may change in the coming years. But change comes slowly, says Sanford Katz, a Boston College law professor and former chairman of the American Bar Association's Family Law committee.

"The word marriage has been with us for thousands of years," Katz says. "For much of the population, it doesn't quite fit the definition for same-sex couples."

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