by Jessica Carreras
Michigan state Rep. Pam Byrnes (D-Lyndon Township) announced Friday, June 12, that she would be introducing legislation soon that aims to repeal Proposal 2.
Proposal 2, approved by Michigan voters in 2004, set a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages in the state, and was followed last year by a Michigan Supreme Court ruling stating that due to the ban, same-sex couples could not receive domestic partnership benefits from their partners.
But with this new legislation, Rep. Byrnes hopes to change all that. "The time has come," Byrnes, the House speaker pro tem, said in an interview with Michigan Messenger.
"I think attitudes are changing. We are seeing other states flip on this issue. Especially when you get the former Vice President Dick Cheney acknowledging same-sex marriages, then I think we definitely see a change in attitude and it's time to revisit this."
The announcement comes on the heels of a recent poll on the issue released by the Detroit Free Press, which stated that attitudes on same-sex marriage – and other LGBT issues – are changing in Michigan. The poll, conducted by the Glengariff Group of Chicago, showed a considerable increase in support for many gay issues, including a jump to 46.5 percent support of same-sex marriages. In 2004, Proposal 2 was approved 58 percent to 42 percent.
Earlier this month, a call for repeal of the amendment was also announced at a rally in Lansing at the Capitol Building following the California Supreme Court's decision to uphold Proposition 8. Supporters urged LGBTs to push for a repeal by 2012.
Byrnes, however, is shooting for an earlier date.
If supported by two-thirds majorities in both the state House and Senate, the amendment would go before Michigan voters in 2010.
Many are calling the drive unlikely, and fellow Democrats in the House were shocked by the announcement. Byrnes, however, remained steadfast to the cause, repeating her support at the Michigan Pride rally at the Capitol Building in Lansing on June 13 to hundreds of LGBT and allied people present at the event.
