Now is the time for the Obama administration to stand by its position on same-sex marriage and support an amendment to the Constitution securing the right to marriage for all.
Civil union and civil marriage are not equal under law. Civil unions do not entitle partners to the over one thousand rights granted to married couples under federal law. The rights partners in a civil union do have are not recognized in states that do not support civil unions.
Civil unions are not enough to guarantee same-sex partners the same rights that married, heterosexual couples take for granted. Only a federal amendment will guarantee same-sex couples are afforded those rights.
If the Obama administration stood up for a Constitutional amendment, it would lend a powerful voice to national conversation.