Marriage has always been a business arrangement--who gets to inherit the farm. All that love stuff is just modern embellishments--it even has a name: the Courtly Love Tradition. As for the religious aspects, rubbish. God doesn't care who we're fucking, and if you find that offensive I am delighted. You deserve to be uncomfortable.

The real reason gays want to marry is for the same reasons straights do, to establish contractual obligations that determine how a partnership is going to manage its joint affairs. It is for mutual self protection under the law, and to establish the civil regulations that have attached themselves to the institution. Establishment of a life-time partnership means things like taxes, insurance, inheritance, children, debt etc have to be managed differently. Love has nothing to do with it. I'm not saying love is irrelevant, just that it has nothing to do with marriage.

As for the modern liberal/conservative connotations that have attached themselves to this issue, they are meaningless. Each side just loves to see the other get all hot and bothered.

Think about it. There are perfectly good justifications for same-sex marriage even amongst completely heterosexual individuals.

Still offended? Good for you. I'm glad I was able to help.