[stormhill]

Agree with your sentiments. However, there's something else at play here that's unclear.

“I believe in civil unions that allow a same-sex couple to visit each other in a hospital or transfer property to each other,” he said in 2008.

This statement is premised on an obvious lie; to wit, it implies that couples not married or partners can't visit each other.
This is a distraction intended to confuse people and mislead them into thinking that some great injustice is taking place.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Yeah, one of his surrogates also said "There are 44 states in which gay men and women are currently barred from marrying one another."

Actually, there are NO states in which gay men and women are barried from marrying one another..

A gay man can marry a gay woman in any state in the Union. Assuming she's not a blood relative, or currently married to somebody else, and she's of age to consent.