In the past week, with Bush's rally against gay marriage and attempts to federally ban it, I have heard a lot of accusations of bigotry and discrimination.  I've also heard lame attempts at defending the anti-gay stance.  Such attempts include, "it's not discrimination, it's protection of an institution," or "they can do whatever they want, we're not limiting their rights, they just have to maintain a relationship outside of wedlock to be recognized." 

Now, isn't the act of dicrimination considered treating someone differently because of a trait, whether it's biological, physical or emotional?

There's no way that banning gay marriage can be considered anything but bigotry.  How, in a land of "freedom and opportunity," can we say you cannot express your love for someone because we think it's weird??

It's immoral.

Ok.  Based on what principles?  Religion.  There are no other bases on which to say homosexuality is wrong, unlawful or even sinful.  They just don't exist.  You can say that it's wrong because it inhibits reproduction, which is the only purpose of sex.  Go try to stop recreational, heterosexual sex, then I'll give that excuse a thought. 

How can we use conservative Biblical references, which are controversial in themselves, as a reason to illegalize something in a country which places so much emphasis on separation of church and state? 

And don't try to tell me that if we allow gay marriage, people will start wanting to marry children, dogs or trees. (Yes, someone once told me people will then want to marry trees... a college professor, nonetheless.)  We can put limits on marriage, if that's what the American people want, but not when it exludes such a large proportion of the country.  (If 25% of Americans want to marry a tree, more power to them.  Maybe then we'd have less divorce.)

I'm not saying that marriage isn't a big deal, it isn't holy or important, or one of the most valuable things we have.  I believe with all my heart that love is the most important thing in our lives, and we should take every opportunity to express love openly and publicly.  However, when over half of heterosexual marriages end in divorce and celebrities get publicity for getting married in Vegas and then almost immediately divorcing, I find it hard to believe that gay marriage will "desanctify" the insitution of marriage.