I think the government one should call it "civil unions" (or whatever) for everyone, and the churches can call it whatever they want. Gay people can still get "married" if they belong to a religious institution that "marries" gay couples; same with heterosexual couples.

Some gay people I know say they don't really care what it's called as long as they get the exact same rights. Of course others may disagree.

But then there's non-religious people who want to be married without the religious aspect. "civil union" doesn't quite have the same ring to it. That could be a problem.

How about "marriage" and "marriage~" ("marriage prime")?