But how does changing a single word change what's going on here? I think you mean that you'd be fine with gay marriage if they replaced marriage with another term, correct? But I don't see where using a different term changes anything else. If the new institution (let's call it a hulbaba) gave every right that the state grants to marriage, a marriage and a hulbaba are the same thing. We're arguing semantics, where two literally identical contracts are given different names even though they're the same thing. If hulbabas and marriages are identical in every way, then really, changing the word is a best a fig leaf to hide the reality that by granting gays hulbabas but denying them marriages, you've given them marriages but created a fictional name to deny that they are in fact married.
But how does changing a single word change what's going on here? I think you mean that you'd be fine with gay marriage if they replaced marriage with another term, correct? But I don't see where using a different term changes anything else. If the new institution (let's call it a hulbaba) gave every right that the state grants to marriage, a marriage and a hulbaba are the same thing. We're arguing semantics, where two literally identical contracts are given different names even though they're the same thing. If hulbabas and marriages are identical in every way, then really, changing the word is a best a fig leaf to hide the reality that by granting gays hulbabas but denying them marriages, you've given them marriages but created a fictional name to deny that they are in fact married.