Michigan gay marriage law

And I think that because of that ― the combination of the law and the decision with changing hearts and minds ― I think that combination makes it not really enticing for the court to do anything to reverse it. People got married, they had children, they lived their lives and there's power in that.

Hodges decision by the Supreme Court in 2015 was transformative for the legal status of same-sex marriage across the United States, fundamentally altering the landscape in Michigan. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the It's Just Politics podcast for all the political news you need each week.

Tomorrow is the 11-year wedding anniversary for more than 300 same-sex couples who were married in Michigan following a landmark court decision.

“Ten years on, I don’t think anyone can credibly make the case that that has happened as a result of same-sex marriage.”

But just weeks ago, Republican state Representative Josh Schriver and a handful of other GOP lawmakers sponsored a non-binding resolution calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse Obergefell.

“This decision has defaced the definition of marriage, undermined our God-given rights, increased persecution of Christians and confused the American family structure,” said Schriver.

The House Republican leadership dismissed the Schriver resolution as an unwelcome distraction and assigned it to a graveyard committee to languish.

But LGBTQ rights activists say they are nevertheless concerned because the dormant language of the same-sex marriage ban remains in the Michigan Constitution as well as in statute.

Earlier this month, a number of Democrats at the state Capitol introduced their own proposal to protect same-sex marriage rights in Michigan.

Carole Stanyar, the Ann Arbor attorney who, along with now-Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, represented DeBoer and Rowse, believes same-sex marriage is safe.

In the Obergefell decision, same-sex marriage "was grounded ... a real risk to every person in our state who might potentially want to marry the person they love one day if we don't get it off the books," said state Rep.

Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor, who is gay. That was the political climate that existed in 1996 as the Michigan Legislature adopted and then-Governor John Engler signed a statutory ban on same-sex marriage. Rather, it would serve as a statement of values by those who voted for it. U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman ruled in their favor, declaring the ban unconstitutional.

The decision prompted a reevaluation of legal frameworks within Michigan, from adoption rights to inheritance laws, reshaping the benefits and responsibilities of marriage. We always want to hear from you! Most specifically, they fear the court's decision on gay marriage will be overturned.

“I think it’s a legitimate concern considering this United States Supreme Court ...

I don't know that we will."

Wouldn't the state's civil rights act protect the right of same-sex couples to marry?

In 2023, Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act was amended to include protections regarding one's sexual orientation and gender identity expression. ”I grew up believing I would never be able to get married and that was really depressing.

It was an awkward compromise that LGBT service members would not be discharged for being gay as long as they kept quiet about it. I experienced that myself as a kid. The decision was made in response to Obergefell v. So, what do other statewide elected Dems think? Prior to this ruling, Michigan’s legal framework was defined by the Michigan Marriage Amendment, passed in 2004, which explicitly prohibited same-sex marriage by defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.