Baby steps. Gays are not even allowed to be alive in certain Islamic nations, nevermind get a legal union.
I mentioned that my analogy was speculative so your pointing out the social problems within certain repressive islamic states in the here and now does not affect it. Furthermore, in the here and now, homosexuals are also severely oppressed in certain christian countries.
I don't think its necessary to couple other issues to this particular one. It does no good. This is a simple issue, in and of itself. Choose your battles. Choose where you stand. Move forward. You’re either for or against. Isolate that which stops progress, which in this case seems to be a bunch of undecided, uncommitted fence-sitters sticking their oar in, and the conservative cock-blocking, pussy-plugging control freak union doing the usual posturing and chest-thumping routine.
Attempting to frame what is obviously a multi-faceted and complex issue in binary terms is disingenuous. Caricaturing those whom you may not agree with does little but illustrate chronic myopia on your part. Would you consider a gay campaign group such as Stonewall (with a membership of around 20,000, iirc) to be "a bunch of undecided, uncommitted fence-sitters sticking their oar in" because you don't agree with their position of non-committal to campaigning for the inclusion of homosexuals in civil marriage?
Polygamists are well within their rights to campaign against any injustices they perceive to their way of life, but not hijack and derail this one.
Again, polygamists (or polyamorists, even) are not the primary concern. Right now we have two forms of monogamous contractual partnership in the UK. One for homosexuals, one for heterosexuals. You could open both to all, but then what is the point in having two things which are essentially the same? The only difference being one is historically religiously grounded and represents an institution called "marriage", whilst the other is a purely secular contractual agreement between two individuals. In my view, marriage is outmoded and its legal status should be revoked because we already have a working alternative in place.
I am not opposed to homosexuals attempting to gain access to civil marriage (as I have already stated). However, acting as though you or I speak for the gay community or know what's best for homosexuals by attempting to paint all critique so negatively merely serves to make you appear ignorant, which I am sure you are not.