I am a moderate bi man, and I disagree with Pastor Warren primarily and specifically on the point that in his belief in Prop 8, he shows zero empathy for what it is gay people are trying to achieve which is equality, and therefor he cannot impartially represent anything until he has negotiated a resolved for his issue.
Pastor Warren has specifically emphasized one particular aspect -which bears the greatest level of leverage for his side of the argument- on the belief that gay people want only specifically to have exclusive use of the term “marriage”. The term marraige being fundamentally an institution between man and woman; the terminology specifically means union between man and woman, which is something which can never be applied within the realm of same sex relations, with this in mind, the gay community must recognize this and forge ahead to find a new term for the same mechanical institution of unity in society. This terminology semantic has become the focus of this situation, and has polarized opinion and changed the focus of the bigger picture which is in fact about general equality, and this is unfortunately now a manifesto being played by both sides.
Gay people do not need to embed on the need for the terminology to be correct, what we need is civil rights and civil union which gives us the express similarity legally, legislatively, and in time, morally to that which is known also known as marriage. We are not looking to change that which is written in stone, we are not looking for marraige, we are looking for that which marraige allows between a man and a woman, to be recognized naturally and freely between two men or two women.
If the resolve of this is to break the stalemate of terminology, then I propose that we as gay people accept a different term for our union, even though it will infact be identical in every way save for the fact that it is between that of same sexes.
In order for progress to be achieved, compromises have to occur. If we can sacrifice the term, and in our strength find a new one, then we will not antagonize those seek to maintain their own values (just as we defend ours) and yet achieve the goal in which we strive to achieve.