Yes, to some extent I agree that is what they are looking for (tolerance and respect), but they don't need to be 'married' to have tolerance and respect. Tolerance and respect don't come from a piece of paper. It comes from good breeding and teaching in the home to treat everyone with respect.
Basically, I think what they want is to normalize homosexuality and put it on a par with heterosexuality. Gay and *** couples do not need (for that matter neither do heterosexual couples) government or a church to 'approve' or 'acknowledge' their unions. Especially if you live in a free country like America.
There are already legal ways for committed couples to protect and provide for each other that is not a marriage contract. So why this clamoring for government sanction? The cry that we "love each other we should be able to live together if we want to" has nothing to do with marriage. Like I said, anyone is free to live with whom and where they want. No one wants to stop anyone from doing that. So that is simply a distraction. So what are they after? Like I said, it is an agenda to 'normalize'.
The purpose of marriage is not to provide a vehicle for people to be 'in love.' Marriage is for the propagation of the species. The continuation of the society. The protection of the children. Marriage is not about the adults. Let me repeat that:
Marriage is not about the adults! That is why governments and churches look favorably on marriage. That is why centuries of social history supports marriage between men and women. I would think the homosexual community would recognize that it is in their best interest to continue to protect and support traditional marriage as the best way to continue to preserve our civilization. Anyone who has studied the importance of the birth rates understands you need to do more than simple replacement in order to preserve, protect and grow your society or country. And who are the people who are doing this largely? The heterosexuals. So, is this heterosexual relationship more important to secular society, governments, churches, etc than homosexual partnerships? The answer is yes! A resounding yes! So, I think it a mistake for the homosexual communities to want to change the traditional understanding and customary use of marriage. Generally, homosexuals do not procreate. Who will produce the children that will be the workers who pay the taxes and keep the society humming so that they can continue to live as they wish.