Why give any status at all to sodomite unions?
In other words, one reason might be for the sake of civil justice regarding shared financial assets: insurance, pensions, property, benefits and the like. Some non-married adults sharing life, assets and domicile may never had a relationship that was sexual in nature (e.g. the caregiver with the terminally ill loved one). Likwise, some may have become a "couple" years before, based on a prohibited sexual relationship, but the relationship has long since ceased being based on sexual activity because they are old or ailing, and remain together for mutual support.
Thus the idea that Civil Union = sodomites, and nobody else, may not always be the case, according to the above author. And in these cases, the point of the legislation would be to allow a more just settlement of property and benefit claims for people who share a significant union of lives and assets.