[RonF]

The point is that "marriage" is not a term whose definition is mutable. If their relationship doesn't meet some state's definition of marriage, they're not married. It's that simple. When people hear the word "married", it's a universal presumption that somewhere there's a legal document with the names of both parties and a legally authorized third party defining the two as married. The CBS spokesperson certainly seemed to think so. Of course, by her own words she reveals her own brain to be hermetically sealed.

To compare this to a woman calling her best friend "sister" fails on two counts. For one thing, there's no multi-billion company trying to get publicity for and consumption of their product on the basis of that statement. And there's also a tradition of the use of the words "brother" and "sister" to sometimes symbolize a relationship based on shared experiences of a highly emotional nature rather than blood that cuts across cultures back into antiquity. And when such a thing comes up, if the people involved are not actually blood related, it's made clear. There is no such tradition for the word "married". Anyone seeing the word "married" presumes a legal relationship as well as a social one.

Fine, forget the lawsuit. Perhaps the government shouldn't be involved. I accept the criticism. But this is still deliberately devious and misleading on the part of CBS, and they should be ashamed on that basis, regardless of how you feel about gays and marriage.

[Vitamin A]

Well said, RonF. Thank you for pointing out the obvious, which unfortunately needs to be done more often than it should be these days. Sounds like a couple guys in here are prime candidates for the CBS spokesPERSON.

[Dilly]

In post No. 6, you said:

And for anyone of any age to not know that no state in the U.S.A. establishes or recognizes a state of marriage for homosexual couples; do you have to have any kind of brain to work in CBS's public relations department? Or at least read something other than People or Variety?

and in post no. 38 you said:

When people hear the word "married", it's a universal presumption that somewhere there's a legal document with the names of both parties and a legally authorized third party defining the two as married.

Which is it? I don't think you can have it both ways here.