Michigan Court Today Declares Same-Sex Benefits To Be Unconstitutional
So, are we taking these Constitutional Marriage Amendments seriously yet? Today, the Michigan Court reversed a 2005 decision and now, based on its Constitutional Amendment which was passed by Michigan voters in 2004, it is unconstitutional for public universities and local governments to grant health insurance to partners of gay employees.
The amendment made the union between a man and a woman the ONLY agreement recognized as a marriage "or similar union for any purpose." And today, the court wrote, "The marriage amendment's plain language prohibits public employers from recognizing same-sex unions for any purpose." So now granting necessary health benefits to same-sex partners (or unmarried heterosexual partners) is technically illegal.
Is Michigan an anomaly? Not at all. The Commonwealth of Virginia recently had the same situation, however, Virginia even disallowed private businesses from granting domestic partnership benefits to same-sex couples at the private businesses own expense. Thanks to Equality Virginia and others, this aspect was repealed. Are we now going to see this blatant discrimination and bigotry in Michigan?
I hope that the Republican Party and the Conservative Groups who did this are pleased with themselves. History has a long memory...
Tom Lang, Director