Welcome to the real world, Dean.
When a man & woman are married -- are they not a "family" right away? Must they
wait for offspring? What if none appear?
When two elderly brothers, having lost their spouses, or, perhaps, having
never married, form a household & hold all things in common -- are they
not a family?
What if the "two elderly brothers" are unrelated to one another?
What if they are sister & brother?
I have not, in the above, touched on issues of sexuality. That is not the issue.
The issue is the human rights of any "bonded group" to be recognized as
such, and share in the priviledges & responsibilities of such. Those
include tax status, hospital access when another family member is ill,
inheritance, etc. etc. that we "heterosexual married folks" take for granted as
"our rights."
Peace
Burgy