Whether its gay marriage/civil unions, racial preferences, public services for illegal aliens, or abortion on demand, the Left almost never implements them legislatively. Its always via Court order or through bureaucracy (as with racial preferences).
The worst part of this is that federalism would take care of much of this if the Left could restrain itself from imposing its values on all states, and instead implement them legislatively in the few states where the people agree with them.
The left has no interest in imposing their concept of egalitarianism on themselves. They wish to impose it on us.