Marriage amendment would ban any legal recognition for same-sex couples

SAGINAW – The Coalition for a Fair Michigan has found common ground with the Michigan affiliate of the American Family Association, one of the lead proponents of the proposed constitutional amendment that would ban legal recognition of any relationships other than opposite-sex marriage. Last Wednesday, at a forum on the amendment held at the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Saginaw, both sides agreed that the amendment would go much further than defining marriage by also eliminating any government-sanctioned domestic partnership benefits.
"I'm glad we could find common ground with the AFA, and I want to thank Gary Glenn for his willingness to be upfront on this point," said Wendy Howell, Campaign Manager for CFM. "Since we all agree that this amendment is about much more than marriage, it's my hope that we can broaden the discussion to include all of the real and concrete impacts it would have on Michigan families rather than just focusing on its most divisive aspect."
At the forum, Mindy Pennington, a panelist at the forum and Coalition member, responded to a question about the impact of the amendment on domestic partnership benefits. Pennington informed the audience that if passed, the amendment would permanently prohibit government entities, such as state universities and local governments, from offering domestic partnership benefits to their employees, and would remove any such benefits that these entities already offer. At this time, Glenn, also a panelist and the leader of the Michigan AFA, told the crowd that the AFA agreed with Mindy's statement.
Said Pennington, the director of Perceptions, a mid-Michigan LGBT group, "Gary Glenn and I don't often agree, but I'm glad that we could find common ground on the fact that this isn't just about marriage. We need to stop trying to scare people and really focus on how broad this amendment is and what it would actually do."
The Coalition for a Fair Michigan is a diverse group of leaders and organizations around the state that have joined together to defeat a proposed amendment to the Michigan state constitution that would permanently ban any legal recognition of relationships other than opposite-sex marriage, including civil marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships. If the amendment is approved, it would be the first time the state constitution is used to deny rights rather than to affirm them.