Is there a bit of a paradox in the same-sex marriage debate?

Seems to me that both sides of the debate often come down to the basic idea that marriage is, after all, just a word. For the pro-side: if it’s just a word, then why is it so important? If civil unions were allowed that were no different from marriage other than what they were called, would that be satisfactory? Is the word so important? For the con-side: the only thing you won’t allow gay people is the word “marriage”? That’s it? Why not just allow them the word? Are you saying that marriage can be boiled down to a single word?

Just something to think about…