East Lansing City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday night for a resolution to add their names to an amicus curiae brief supporting the "freedom to marry," in relation to the DeBoer vs. Snyder supreme court case, which questioned the decision of the 6th Circuit Court which held that "gay and lesbian citizens, unlike all other citizens, have no fundamental right to marry," the brief said.
The brief comes from the group Mayors for the Freedom to Marry and the vote would put East Lansing Mayor Nathan Triplett's name, as well as the name of the city of East Lansing itself, on the brief. The deadline for having the city's name on the brief is Monday, Triplett said, which is why it was voted on at a work session rather than a full council meeting, after which it will be sent to the Supreme Court.
The lengthy 44-page document itself lists several reasons why this political cause should be supported, especially in how it effects government at the local level, arguing that "denying the freedom to marry is discrimination that undermines local efforts."
It argued from three central points, that denying marriage to homosexual couples undermines the "dignity and respect that government owes all its citizens," that marriage is a fundamental right of all citizens and "marriage equality cannot have full meaning unless it is recognized uniformly across state lines."
Triplett stressed East Lansing's long history of pushing for equality for LGBT citizens.
"Discriminatory marriage laws impair the ability of cities like East Lansing to treat our citizens with dignity and respect," he said.
Councilmember Ruth Beier expressed dismay that marriage equality is not already legal.
"In general my feeling is that I am embarrassed that Michigan passed a Constitutional amendment that makes it illegal for me to get married," Beier said in an email. "And that anything East Lansing can do to support overturning that amendment is a no brainer."
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