Chuck is correct that there is a significant difference, which I explained.

To be exact, marriage has a number of characteristics regarding children. I am not in favor of including those in the humanitarian set of law changes for same sex couples. Hence one is traditional marriage and the other is something else – perhaps civil union.

Does it help that I too used to be a mathematician and am an engineer and programmer?

And, I studied a bit of contract law, which is originally derived in whole from British contract law.