Marriage has two distinct components: civil and religious. If we really understood that, I wonder if we’d still spend so much time arguing about gay marriage. (by Leonard Pitts Jr.) The Seattle Times

Pope Benedict XVI, offering his first detailed critique of gay unions since his elevation to the pontificate six weeks ago, yesterday described same-sex marriages as “pseudo-matrimony.” In a speech to a conference on families held by the Diocese of Rome, Benedict made clear in strong language that he intends to pursue the hard-line defense of traditional Catholic teachings that made him controversial in his role as Pope John Paul II’s chief enforcer of church doctrine. The Boston Globe

Gay marriage’s denial, not its recognition, poses the greater risk to American kids. (by Jonathan Rauch) The New Republic

Our country’s fitful, centuries-long struggle to create a nation in which all citizens truly are equal has been our greatest gift to the world. And, luckily, when the United States has stumbled badly—as it long did on the road to racial equality, as it does today in its treatment of those of us who’re gay—there have always been other countries able to point us, by their example, toward the fairness that we taught them to strive for. The Detroit News

When a federal court in Nebraska struck down the state’s constitutional ban on recognition of gay relationships, opponents of gay marriage claimed vindication for their noxious proposal to define marriage in the U.S. Constitution. The decision makes clear that “Congress must pass, and the people of this country must ratify, an amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage as being between one man and one woman,” Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said in a statement. From all the hysteria, you might think that a federal court had just mandated that Nebraska begin licensing gay marriages. But that's not what happened. What the court did, rather, was strike down a provision of the state constitution—adopted by ballot initiative in 2000—that bans not merely same-sex marriage but any “civil union, domestic partnership, or other similar same-sex relationship.” The provision’s ban on marriage was not what led to it being tossed out. The Washington Post

Nearly a year after Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage, state legislators are again planning to consider a proposal to make such marriages illegal. Senator Robert E. Travaglini, a Democrat and the president of the Senate, took steps toward convening a constitutional convention in the fall; one issue that would come before it is a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage but legalize civil unions. Senator Travaglini is a co-sponsor of the amendment, which received preliminary approval from the Legislature last year, too late to stop a decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to allow gay marriages to begin on May 17, 2004. But the amendment did not die. It has a chance to become law if the Legislature approves it in the 2005-2006 legislative session, and if it is then approved by voters in a referendum in November 2006. It is not clear how likely that is to happen. The New York Times

Religious conservatives who succeeded in rewriting Ohio’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage are pushing state lawmakers to make divorce more difficult and to ban gay people from becoming foster or adoptive parents. Ohio’s state law banning gay marriage took effect a year ago. Its supporters say it was overshadowed by the even stronger constitutional amendment passed in November that bans civil unions for same- or opposite-sex couples. The new covenant marriage bill says couples who want such a marriage must go through counseling and sign a contract saying they understand they would have to go through a yearlong “cooling off” period with counseling before getting a divorce in most cases. 365Gay.com

A new Gallup Poll shows that over the past year support for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage has steadily grown with 57 percent of the electorate now favoring the move. The poll, taken between March 18 and 20, shows that only 37 percent are opposed to an amendment. Last July when the question was asked by Gallup pollsters the public was more evenly divided with 48 percent in favor of an amendment and 46 percent against. But, in November, voters in 11 states passed amendments to their constitutions banning gay marriage. 365Gay.com

A history of how the civil unions bill was passed in Connecticut. The New York Times

When a California judge ruled that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, the decision generated national headlines and scathing criticism. But the decision is hardly news, and the judge is hardly an activist. The New York Times