I join with others in welcoming you, ChristianMiller, and applauding your first post as being very well written and well thought out. It helps my high opinion of your essay that it happens to be in very close agreement with my own position.
A slight quibble:
In our idealized concept of marriage we imagine two people in love, committed to each other, living together, having a family, living happily ever after.
Many of us here at the Rant are a little on the waning side of our child bearing/rearing years. In fact, one might say downright over the hill. So your "our" may not apply to our "us".
More to the crux of the matter: to my mind, the idea of a "union" of two people that goes beyond mere "love relationship" definitely involves some vital contractural obligations and rights, such as legal and medical power of attorney, sharing of property, and sharing of decision making regarding guardianship of minor children. IMHO these rights cannot and should not vanish in the name of equality; rather they should be equally distributed in the name of equality.
So I unite with Phil's opinion. First, equal rights. Then we can talk about abolishing the institutionalization of marriage relationships. I'll be arguing for the "con" side.
