The "traditional" view of anything is irrelevant to civil rights; tradition is only popular convention that should be imposed on none and has no inherent legitimacy regardless. For centuries the traditional view of blacks was as slaves and of women as second-class citizens, but that did not make it right, only reveal how wrong tradition can be. "Traditionally," marriage has often been polygamous, but no one is racing to defend that.

Now, sacramental marriage is a very different thing, but US state and federal law are themselves legally barred from defining sacraments and vice versa. The Christian Church has no more business performing gay marriages than the state does banning them, but US law already recognizes a host of non-Christian marriages precisely because no church or churches can legally define marriage in the US. Every argument against legal gay marriages boils down to "the bible forbids it" and/or "its unpopular," neither of which is a valid basis for denying the right to wed whom one wishes, with all legal privileges, protections and obligations that entails. On the contrary, the Fourteenth Amendments Equal Protection Clause requires homosexuals have all legal rights and privileges everyone else does.