Can somebody explain to me the gay marriage issue please from a legal perspective?

In the states which ban gay marriage constitutionally but legalizes it through civil unions, it is merely a matter of terminology. The gays, which tend to see government as a god, seek its validation and want it to be called marriage. The right wing religious nuts, which hate gays more than Satan, do not want to share the same title with gays. Both sides are idiots since ALL marriages are basically civil unions. Marriage is a religious term and therefore has no bearing on the state. The state is trying to appease both sides.