The answer is simple. Every couple (any adult couple, straight or gay) is eligible for a civil union, which will be a legal contract issued by the state governments and will include all 1,049 legal benefits now enjoyed only by heterosexual married couples (1,049 as listed by the GAO in 1997).
Those wishing to get "married" before their God are perfectly free to do so, under the rules and restrictions of their particular religion and place of worship. These "marriages" will be deemed religious ceremonies, and as such, not recognized by the federal or state governments, any more than a briss or baptism carries any particular legal standing. Separation of church and state.
Under these rules, government agencies will no longer be issuing so called "marriage licenses," which were misnamed anyway. They were simply permission to enter into a civil union.
Those of a religious bent seem to revere the term "marriage." They can still do so without worrying about gays being "married." Gay couples will be proclaimed as legally entering into a civil union, just as their straight counterparts, and perfectly free to look for religious organisations who will facilitate a ceremony for them to proclaim their mutual love and devotion before God.
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