Gay marriage in Michigan: Lawmakers push to codify rights banned by state constitution
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Michigan lawmakers want to remove an amendment to the state constitution that says marriage is only between a man and a woman.
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The amendment was approved by voters in 2004 and would need to be changed by a vote as well.
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Gay marriage is federally protected by the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, but if that ruling were to be overturned, it would become illegal in Michigan again.
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Michigan lawmakers want to remove an amendment to the state constitution that says marriage is only between a man and a woman.
-
The amendment was approved by voters in 2004 and would need to be changed by a vote as well.
-
Gay marriage is federally protected by the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, but if that ruling were to be overturned, it would become illegal in Michigan again.
FOX 2, Lansing, Mich.State legislators are trying to modify the statute that would have prohibited homosexual marriage if it weren’t for the 2015 Supreme Court judgment Obergefell v. Hodges.
Even though Obergefell made same-sex marriages legal across the US, no state legislation now protects this right. In the meantime, there are those who overthrow it, as it did with.
The state constitution of Michigan was amended in 2004 to include the following clause: “the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for any purpose.”
Unless the current 2004 ban is changed, same-sex marriage would be prohibited in Michigan if the Obergefell case were overturned.
Codifying gay marriage in Michigan
Legislators, including state representative Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor), have been working to modify the amendment to legalize homosexual marriage in Michigan.
Since homosexual marriage was outlawed in Michigan in 2004, voters would need to repeal the ban from the state constitution through a ballot proposition before the practice could be legalized.
A bill to legalize gay marriage, House Joint Resolution F, was filed by Morgan, a gay man, last year. For that bill to reach voters, the Legislature must approve it, but Morgan stated that lawmakers don’t believe they presently have enough support, which is why it hasn’t made any progress.
He claimed that Republican lawmakers who might not support it are the issue, not the electorate.
“I believe the people will vote to support families,” Morgan stated. “The support just isn’t there for majority (in the Legislature).”
A man from Michigan acknowledged organizing mass shootings at a bar and a political party office because he intended to murder homosexual people and connected both locations to LGBTQ+ individuals.
Although the bill can also be made public through a citizen-driven petition, Morgan is hopeful that the House and Senate will allow it to reach voters.
Morgan said he will continue to advocate for the right to marry in Michigan even if the resolution doesn’t move forward.
He remarked, “It’s just so important,” “This is something I’m very passionate about.”
What happens if Obergefell is overturned
If Obergefell were to be reversed, current marriages in Michigan would be recognized under the current law, but future LGBTQ+ weddings would be prohibited, Morgan stated.
A similar situation occurred in 2022 when a Supreme Court decision led to the nationwide ban on abortion. States were given the freedom to choose whether or not to permit abortions once that decision was overturned. The abortion prohibition in Michigan was repealed after
Following the Roe decision, Justice Clarence Thomas stated that the Supreme Court ought to reexamine decisions that protected same-sex relationships and permitted same-sex marriage, instilling dread in states lacking such safeguards.
There are worries about the decision and the future of marriage in the US, even if President-elect Donald Trump has not stated a wish to remove protections for gay marriage.
“I do believe that marriage equality is at risk under the Trump administration,” Morgan stated.
Morgan added that some Michigan lawmakers, specifically, seek to outlaw gay marriage.
“He wants to dissolve families and tear them apart,” Morgan stated.
Schriver only recently.
Republican State Representative Josh Schriver of Oxford is advocating for the prohibition of homosexual marriage, even as the Michigan Legislature is rushing through a number of laws during its lame duck session that ends in 2024.
“America only accepted gay marriage after it was thrusted into her by a perverted Supreme Court ruling,” Schriver said in part. “Prohibit gay marriage once more. This is not at all extreme or contentious.
In a statement, Schriver reaffirmed his claim that homosexual marriage is wrong.
The Origin:The constitution of Michigan and an interview with Representative Jason Morgan provided information for this topic.
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