Despite apocryphal stories telling of the end of civilization (or at least the institution of marriage), President Obama’s announcement last week concerning same sex marriage did not change one thing. He clearly said it was a personal decision for him and shared with us how he arrived at his “evolved” position. I have been listening to and engaging with people since the President announced his “decision” (with apologies to Lebron James) and for me, it comes down to this: Do we believe in the United States of America, that same sex couples, who are citizens of the United States, who pay taxes and a part of the nation’s fabric, should they be able to go to a county register’s office, and get a marriage license? This has absolutely nothing to do with one’s belief, faith, theology, or biblical interpretation. It does not have anything to do with pastors officiating same sex unions, churches believing that homosexuality is a sin or not, or that gay marriage will forever wreck the institution of marriage. This is and always has been an equality issue. So again, do we believe that citizens (in this case, same sex couples) of the United States of America should be able to get a marriage license from a government official? Or do we want government out of the marriage business and have government only issue civil unions to all couples?