The party line then (emphasis added):
Family groups believe Vermont’s “civil unions” law will have a negative impact on the state and may be used to undermine marriage laws across the country.
Janet Parshall, chief spokeswoman for the Family Research Council, decried the lawmakers’ action.
“This is ‘gay marriage’ in everything but name, and it is a direct assault on society’s most essential institution,” Parshall said.
“It appears that, from their side,” said (Stephen) Cable (President of the “Center for American Cultural Renewal” in Rutland), “it is a battle of semantics, and being in a position of being more accepted in terms of the word ‘marriage.’ From our perspective, ‘marriage’ is drastically different. The word marriage,” he said, “implies, you know, it implies [the] opposite sex can form a union. So it’s very, very different from our perspective.”