GRANHOLM ENDS BENEFITS FOR GAYS….On November 2, Michigan voters approved Proposal 2 to ban same-sex marriage. Here it is in its entirety:
To secure and preserve the benefits of marriage for our society and for future generations of children, 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.
Just trying to “preserve the sanctity of marriage?” Not hardly. Before the election its supporters assured voters that the amendment was about marriage, not benefits, but now that the results are in they claim that Proposal 2’s “similar union” language prevents the state not only from recognizing gay marriage, but from even offering benefits to same-sex partnerships. That kind of bait-and-switch is hardly surprising, but what is surprising is that despite the fact that the state has already negotiated a contract to provide same-sex benefits to its 30,000 employees, governor Jennifer Granholm has agreed to suspend them even though no court has yet ruled that this is required.
That’s pretty disappointing from a supposed rising star in the Democratic party, especially since the new benefits don’t start until next October anyway, making this mostly a symbolic act. It’s one thing if you fight it out in court and lose, but you’d think that Granholm could at least fight it out. It’s hard to imagine a Republican governor in a similar situation meekly rolling over like that. They usually fight for what they believe in.
