HomoQuotable - Evan Wolfson

"Phrases such as "gay marriage" or "same-sex marriage" imply that same-sex couples are asking for something other than marriage. They imply that same-sex couples deserve something different or lesser than the security, protections, safety-net, and respect that married couples cherish. And they play into the right-wing's fear-mongering that gay people are a threat to marriage, that equality and inclusion would somehow unacceptably "redefine" the law (in a country dedicated to those very values), and that "Defense of Marriage" is the answer to committed couples seeking to participate in a precious institution.

[snip]

"Much as we want people to understand that the words gay and marriage do belong together, we don't want “gay marriage.” It's the freedom to marry that matters – for all of us – and the way to secure it is by talking to others. And it's the personal ask – each one of us raising our voice and not just assuming that those around us are there, or can't get there – that makes all the difference. Turn to the people in your life now, and say, "Happy Freedom to Marry Week!" - Freedom To Marry head Evan Wolfson, pleading for a change in terminology. This is Freedom To Marry Week and today was Freedom To Marry Day.

While Wolfson and others have been asking for an end to the usage of "gay marriage" and "same-sex marriage" for a long time, I haven't seen much of a response in the popular vernacular and only occasionally use "marriage equality" on this here website thingy. Wolfson's point, however, is well-taken.