Michigan should be ashamed to have passed Proposal 2 into law. On Tuesday, our state and 11 others wrote hatred and discrimination into the very core of their state constitutions.
We at The State News are appalled, but not necessarily surprised.
Voting yes on Proposal 2 wouldn't have forced the hand of any religion - churches would have been free to marry or not marry whomever they pleased. What's more, Michigan already had a statewide law defining marriage as between a man and woman.
Adding the amendment could clear the way for domestic partner benefits already in place to be torn away.
Large companies and institutions, including MSU, might no longer be bound to offer any rights to gay couples. Under an overbroad interpretation, any health-care plans shared by a gay couple under their companies could evaporate.
Voters in 11 states chose to put their personal moral agendas above affording rights to others. In our country, people should live freely without being bound by someone else's religious or personal moral beliefs. An explicit ban on gay marriage which this "definition" is, could be seen as the fusion of church and state.
If you're gay and living in Michigan, we can't really blame you if thoughts of leaving the state have crossed your mind. A majority of voters passing Proposal 2 sends a powerful, albeit inadvertent message. One which says, "Gays are not welcome here." Tuesday night, Michigan become a much less accepting state. That embarrasses us.
It's not going to be easy, but we urge you to stay in Michigan and fight even harder. Tuesday's decision needs to remain what it is - a setback. Contest the amendment. Get out and inform the state. Be a living demonstration to those around you, showing them they might have had the wrong idea about homosexuality.
If you're upset that Proposal 2 passed, continue to fight discrimination in Michigan - if you leave, then who will be left to fight?
Employers need to make good on their promises to deliver domestic partner benefits to workers. If a company already has the benefits, changing policy would effectively deceive workers. Keeping benefits, despite any judicial rulings, would be a powerful way to boost worker morale and prove your devotion to a cause.
Either way, workers shouldn't have to constantly readjust to drastic, changing conditions.
Michigan courts and judges, please interpret the amendment based on its exact wording. It's about marriage, not domestic partner benefits. Ideally, we'd like to see options remain open for Michigan employers to give the benefits. In the spirit of justice and the law, leave discrimination out of the judicial interpretation.
U.S. and state constitutions should guide citizens down the path to personal freedom. By passing Proposal 2, we have elected to abridge rights, and not to expand or even protect them.
Michigan civil rights were slapped in the face Tuesday, and all of us should be outraged.
