Capitol Correspondent
LANSING- When the state court of appeals ruling came down last year saying that offering domestic partner benefits violated a new state constitutional amendment, Mike Spencer a student at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, knew it was time to act.
"I identify as a straight man," Spencer says, "and while this ruling impacted my friends and the people I love, it impacts me too. I felt it was important for people like myself to stand up and say this is important to me."
And stand up he is. On May 22, Spencer and a coalition of groups including the ACLU of Michigan, Triangle Foundation, Michigan Equality, Affirmations, the Concerned Social Workers of UofM, and Consortium of LBGT Organization in Higher Ed will hold a rally on the steps of the state capitol to protest the rulings by the state appeals court.
"When I looked around I didn't see a lot of people doing anything about it. A lot of people were talking about it," said Spencer about last year's Proposal 2 and the antigay marriage amendment two years earlier. "I thought we needed to take some kind of stand. We needed to put forth some kind of action. Even if it is a symbolic one for people to get behind."
"We are not going to let some anonymous person in a dark room wearing a robe blindly take away our rights without any consideration for the consequences," said Michigan Equality's Derek Smiertka. "When I think of the decision (the Michigan Court of Appeals Domestic Partners decision) I think sinister."
"We need people to show up to say this is not an anonymous issue, it impacts real people," added Smiertka.
Jay Kaplan, director of the LBGT project of the ACLU agrees. He wants to see people there so the message is clear, "people are concerned."
"I hope we will have a large number of people there to show there is concern and support for domestic partner benefits and that people disagree with the interpretation of the amendment issued by the appeals court. I hope as well they will feel motivated to do something about this," Kaplan told BTL.
Kaplan said people who are worried about the ruling can write letters to the editor, contact legislators and have conversations with their friends and families about what is happening in the state.
Smiertka agrees and points out that proponents of the ban have been using it to promote an antigay agenda.
"People should understand how the proponents have used this to do things other than they said they would not do," Smiertka said.
"We need the bodies out there to show that the court of public opinion is on our side," he added.
Following a 3 p.m. rally, participants will march to the Hall of Justice and deliver a letter demanding a say in the way justice is handled in Michigan for LBGT people.
Spencer said confirmed rally speakers include Jay Kaplan of the ACLU of Michigan and Sean Kosofsky of the Triangle Foundation. Numerous legislators have also said they would be in attendance at the event.
"It's piling up and at some point people have to say 'stop, no more!'," Spencer said.
