Now convince the rest of the members of your religion to get their noses out of the government and let gays and lesbians have the same rights / benefits as "married" Christians. In the civil sense, I mean.

Well given my disclaimer that I think that now that we are talking "civil-unions" (between any combonation of genders) and not "marriages" (people of the opposit sex) the laws giving us those rights should be back up for debate (by our standard democratic process I mean). The U.S. populance might not want to grant same-sex couples the same rights they agreed to grant to opposit sex couples when the laws were made, and in so changing the laws would deny rights to opposit sex coupples that same sex coupples might not have them either (which is perfectly fair).

Given that, put it on a balot and I will vote for it. As far as convincing anybody......I'd love to convince my religion to get their noses out of the government. It would make it easier for me to tell the government where to stick it when they want to go and redefine marriage.