Gay Marriage: Civil Right or Personal Choice?

Does anyone not want to talk about Proposition 8? Well, I haven't seen anyone that doesn't have an opinion, so I figured I would way in on it.
I believe that "Marriage" is reserved for a man and a woman through their religious beliefs. AS such, the government has no reason, and no right, to legislate "Marriage." Instead, the government should be concerned with "civil unions" as those effect the state. My solution? Everyone can have a civil union upon reaching certain requirements that do not discriminate (as they say 'race, creed, sex, etc.')
In some cultures very young children are "married" to bring rival tribes or clans into peace. The United States does not recognize these 'marriages' and nor should it. A majority (52% is a majority) of people who voted in California believe that 'marriage' is between a man and a woman. Fine. Let whatever beliefs these two groups continue by having the government stop legislating 'marriage.'By having the government issue civil unions to people that are of a certain age and any other nondiscriminatory factors this would be fair and reasonable.
The two primary reasons that the government regulates marriage are taxes and custody. If we remove this limitation and expand those elligible it would benifit may people. Couples of any sex could join in a civil union for whatever reason. I could see reasons for two people who are not in love to get a civil union for a period of time. Perhaps two adults have no other family and live together, but are good friends. With out a next of kin, what would happen to either of them if they were to become injured? Would their medical decisions be made by the state? How would take care of their bills?
They could write out living wills and powers of attorneys, but what if they missed something? And why would they want to hire a lawyer to address these items that come automatically with a civil union? To allow them access to a civil union would be fair and save both them and the government a lot of time and money over the legal wrangling should this situation occur.
In the case of gay marriage, it would become a non-issue. They would have the legal rights already afforded to 'conventional marriages' and would be equal in the eyes of the law. This would solve the issue of civil right. As for 'marriage' it would remain a personal choice. With about a 1 in 2 chance of a marriage ending in divorce, it would seem that the union is a personal choice already.
In conclusion, let us be equal in rights to everyone. The the government worry about the law and the taxes. The religious organizations can worry about marriage. We are headed this way anyway, but if we are going to change things, lets change them for the better and so that it makes the most sense and helps the most people.