The solution to the gay marriage debate?

Okay so I’m a liberal conservative, and although I have a few gay and bi friends, I was raised in a strict Christian hosuehold (one that I just moved back into, in fact) and my parents just LOVE to gawk at gay people. the sad part is, we live in San Diego, there are gays EVERYWHERE, we even have a “gayborhood” called Hillcrest where most of them and the trannies live. My parents aren’t anti-gay, maybe a tad bit homophobic, but it’s still embarassing and annoying. if I go with them to the DMV in Hillcrest there will be all sorts of trannies and gay guys, and my mom will cover her mouth to stifle a laugh and ask me later if I saw that person. It’s annoying.
So anyways, if u’ve heard anything about the California laws, there’s been this big debate over what’s called Prop 8. basically a liberal judge in San Fran randomly changed the California Constitution to letting gays marry, and Prop 8 was to go back to the way it was before the judge did that. California voters voted on Prop 8, and Prop 8 passed, so the gays and the gay rights advocates are enraged… it’s sad.
Now, my theory is, why don’t we give the gays the EQUIVALENT of marriage (exact same rights and everything) and just call it something else? I’ve learned that a lot of the straight people that are stopping them from getting married are just simply attached to the WORD “marriage,” they consider it’s just between a man and a woman. they’re not going to let that WORD go without a fight. and although gays do want to get married, I think for now we should just give them & their partners the same rights as married couples, call it something else (like an “official partnership” where they have to have a ceremony that parallels that of a heterosexual marriage), and if they truly want to fight for the word “marriage” they can do it later.
What do you think? I’d like to perfect my theory. I’m a straight white 18 y.o. female, and a conservative for the most part, but I really think this is the right thing to do. I’m not a gay rights advocate usually, since their lifestyle doesn’t affect me, but this is getting out of control. Can’t there be a compromise? It breaks my heart every time I go visit my grandma in the hospital, because the person in the room next to her is gay, and his partner “technically” can’t visit him, only one of the nurses lets him in. It’s heartbreaking. They’ve been together for 50 years.