I thought this was interesting

http://www.geocities.com/mollyjoyful/marriage.html

Homosexual Marriage

Research by the Yale historian John Boswell in the book, Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe, explores the historical context of homosexual marriages.  His studies revealed that homosexual marriage rites have been legally sanctioned and religiously upheld for over 3,000 years in ancient African, Asian, Egyptian, Greek,  Mesopotamian, Native American and Roman cultures.  The social acceptance of same-gender relationships did not gain widespread condemnation until the 13th century, when religious orders stepped in and declared them immoral (Dorrell & Legal Marriage Court Cases, 1994,1996).
Paul Halsall, also a historian, supports the findings of Boswell and unearthed other cultures’ acceptance of male-male or female-female relationships. In his essay, Lesbian and Gay Marriage through History and Culture, he documents the recognition of same-gender couples in many cultures. He specifically lists, “Ancient Greece, Egypt, Crete, Sparta, Thebes, Ancient Rome, China, Japan, Malay, Bali, Australia, India, Native Americas (Chukchi, Koriaks, Kamchadale), New Mexico tribes, Peru, Brazil, Medieval Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism” (Halsall, 1996).  While certainly the couplings and the recognitions were not everyday common occurrences, they were recorded as happening.
The role of the church in condoning homosexual marriages is also evident, according to Boswell.  The Catholic Church, in particular, legitimized same-gender unions for over 1,500 years.  This tradition was halted only in the 1800s.  There were over 100 liturgies specifically for same-gender marriages. Since childbearing parts of marriage did not fit the same-gender unions, they were removed.  As a replacement, the liturgies praised the companionable parts of marriage.  For instance, a gay couple was cited as celebrating "brotherhood.” (Dorrell, 1994)
Other religious denominations accept and support same-gender commitments.  Religious ceremonies for gay male couples and lesbian couples have been performed in assorted religious persuasions, including, Buddhist, Episcopalian, Reconstructionist, Jewish, Reform Jewish, Presbyterian, Quaker, Unitarian and others (Where to Get a Religious Blessing, 1995).  It is noteworthy that while many of the arguments against same-gender marriage pertain to religion, currently the only instances where Americans can have same-gender marriage rites performed are religious.  The law does not recognize same-gender marriages, but many churches do.
Female-female and male-male couples have existed throughout history and exist in great numbers today.  The level of social recognition has varied through time, religions and specific cultures.  However, homosexual relationships are not a new concept nor are they something that have just sprung out of the decaying American society.  They have always existed, however they may not have always been a discussed topic nor have a great deal of couples wished to be socially open with the true nature of their relationship.  Marriage in the United States has gone through many changes since the establishment of the country, transcending many elements that were once regulated, such as race of the couple.  Making the gender of a marriage partner open to personal choice should be the next step in the evolution of marriage.

Fair play!