I think being a Brit I find it hard to understand why the States seem to have such a backlash. Although, over here it's still not refered to as marriage (and there's was stil a long fight prior to the introduction in 2006)it seems just a thing that happens. But then I'm a fairly liberal person and and my friends are too... so therefore not gonna hang about with the homophobes. In fact, I went to my first civil partnership this autumn.