marriage in california

i've always been proud that massachusetts was the first state to legalize marriage. it's an issue that needs to be pushed in a more radical direction, i think. if we're going to live in a society in which government authorization is necessary to symbolically and (more importantly) legally legitimate a family or relationship, than such a right has to be freely available to all types of families, regardless of the gender, sexuality, or number of folks involved. the boston globe ran an article last sunday about the push to create a legal method for granting friendships some of the benefits of marriage (which, to be fair, can be accomplished with living wills, durable power of attorney, etc). anyway, i found a kinda touching video about the california decision.