The essentially do not exist at this point. I never said they did. Right now civil union is just a buzzword. It was thrown out there a few times and soundly rejected by gay activists so why should they exist?If you feel my argument is invalid then please explain how civil unions are the same as marriages in terms of legal protection? As i said, there are very few states that recognize civil unions (something around three i think). If those unions aren't recognized across state lines, by the federal government or other institutions then they are inherently unequal. I suspect that is why many gay couples seek the same recognition that is afforded to straight couples. Same-sex couples haven't been offered the same legal representation as heterosexual couples and that is why it keeps being an issue.
I really don't care if you call it unions, marriage, or whatever else but you cannot argue for something that isn't legally equal and expect same-sex couples to accept it. I also really don't care if some churches don't want to 'marry' couples and others do, but until the legal issues are resolved it will remain a bigger deal than it really ought to be.
Also, I didn't realize Christianity was so fragile that it cannot withstand thousands of people wanting to use the same word as it does to define a commitment to another person.
As for recognition, I don't give two craps about that. Gays aren't a race, creed or a gender. They are people that prefer on thing over another and act on that preference. I don't deny them the right to do so but I reserve the right to disagree with them and view their lifestyle as immoral. That is what tolerance is.