You know, if Erich had stated "Hey, I'm not pro gay-marriage, but I'm really behind equal civil partnerships that offer all the same rights" then the backlash would be much milder. But there is a vanishingly small number of people who hold that opinion, because it's pretty ludicrous (boils down to 'this word is so important that it must not be changed, despite the fact that I don't object at all to equality')