LANSING – State Representative Ellen Cogen Lipton (D-Huntington Woods) sponsored a plan that was introduced Wednesday to amend the state Constitution to allow same-sex marriage in Michigan.
"Everyone, no matter their sexual orientation, should be able to experience sharing in a lifetime commitment to someone they love," Lipton said. "We have to work toward treating all people the way we ourselves wish to be treated. So many of our friends and neighbors are treated like second-class citizens simply because of they are gay or lesbian. It's time to put an end to that hurt and that discrimination."
Lipton's plan amends Michigan's Constitution to allow same-sex marriages and allows Michigan to recognize same-sex marriages from other states. The plan also contains a religious exemption that allows clergy the right to refuse to perform or certify same-sex marriages.
Fifteen states currently have some level of protection for the rights of same-sex couples. Same-sex marriages are not legally recognized in Michigan because voters passed a constitutional amendment that banned gay marriage and other same-sex unions in 2004. However, public opinion has swung quickly in recent years, especially in reaction to stories of same-sex couples being denied access to a partner's health care benefits or visitation rights to their loved ones at hospitals.
"Our country was founded on shared values that preserve a basic level of human dignity," Lipton said. "Monogamy in marriage and making a lifetime commitment can be a wonderful part of growing old together. As a government we should not be taking those joys away from people who value that lifetime commitment and want to make it part of their lives."