“...all same-sex couples can have is a farce with benefits.”
It was never about benefits. If it was you would see higher numbers of gays getting civilly married where they can do so. It was always about using the power of the state to punish those who they know can never accept ‘gay marriage.’ It’s the stick they will never have to put down.
Freegards
In General Synod of the United Church of Christ v. Cooper, the United Church of Christ,.. who sued the state on behalf of same-sex couples, argued that North Carolina’s ban on marriage equality violates the U.S. Constitution. In his injunction.
Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. wrote,... “The issue before this court is neither a political issue nor a moral issue. It is a legal issue and it is clear as a matter of what is now settled law in the Fourth Circuit that North Carolina laws prohibiting same sex marriage, refusing to recognize same sex marriages originating elsewhere, and/or threating to penalize those who would solemnize such marriages, are unconstitutional.”