Gay marriage: Don't make it about 'rights' (BaltimoreSun) 
"What do we want? EQUAL RIGHTS! When do we want them? NOW!"
Catchy — but it doesn't sound much like a wedding vow.
When couples make that lifetime commitment to each other in front of friends and family on one of the biggest days of their lives, few of them cite the 1,138 federal rights they will gain by making the promise of marriage. And the words "tax benefits" rarely come up in the best man's toast.
Yet "rights and benefits" are what the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender (LGBT) community has been using as its lead argument for decades. Recently, however, there's been a significant shift in the movement, one that is evident in the debate around marriage in Maryland. Rather than focusing on the legal rights and benefits of marriage — such as Social Security payments, spousal health care coverage and joint tax filing — many advocates have begun to emphasize the personal aspects of the marital bond, like commitment and responsibility. This paradigm shift was based on more than just savvy intuition; it's grounded in substantial public opinion research.
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Complete article at Baltimore Sun : http://bit.ly/f9SQNk
