The most recent “Patrick’s Place” Poll asked you about your feelings on the controversial subject of gay marriage. Voters had three choices:

People willing to commit to each other should be allowed to marry like anyone else.
Same-sex couples should be allowed rights of marriage, but it should be called something else.
Same-sex couples should not be allowed any legal rights or recognition of their relationship.

I’m happy to report that 84% of those who voted feel that gay couples should at least have a legal option, whether it be called “marriage” or a “civil union.” Only 16% say the should not be entitled to any legal rights at all, which seems to me to be in direct opposition to that notion of all men being created equal that most of us hold so dear.

Of that 84%, it’s striking that 71% not only feel that gay couples should be allowed the legal rights of marriage, but that they also don’t have a problem with gay unions being called marriage. The remaining 13% feel that gays are entitled to the rights heterosexuals enjoy, but would be more comfortable if it were called something other than marriage.

What’s in a name? For many gay couples who want to be legally allowed to marry, having their relationship called a “civil union” rather than a “marriage” harkens back to the days of “separate but equal,” when children were segregated by race into separate school systems.

Granted, this survey was in no way scientific. But if this is even close to the “general population’s” view of things, why, other than for political posturing by a president desperate for a strong show of support on something, does this even need to be an issue? If the majority is supposed to rule, and if these results represent anything near what the majority really feels, it seems like it would be time to move on to more critical issues of the day.