Lawsuit Targets Michigan State's 'Domestic Partner' Policy
by Jim Brown
July 7, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Michigan State University is being sued over its recognition of same-sex "marriages."
The lawsuit filed on behalf of the American Family Association of Michigan alleges Michigan State is violating the state marriage amendment, which defines marriage as "the union of one man and one woman." MSU has a policy that provides employee benefits to so-called "same-sex domestic partners." Attorney Pat Gillen with the Thomas More Law Center, which is representing AFA-Michigan, says proponents of same-sex "marriage" are trying to get the legal status of a lawful marriage by using another name.
"Both common sense and history demonstrate the tremendous benefit that marriage as an institution has had for the good of spouses, their children, and the common good of society," says Gillen. "I think it's vitally important that all steps are taken to preserve the unique status of that institution and to prohibit those who would experiment with the family and marriage from doing so."
According to Gillen, Michigan State is betraying the will of the people. "A number of state universities are defying the will of the people expressed in Michigan's marriage amendment and Michigan's law governing marriage," he says, "and they are recognizing same-sex marriages in essence but calling them same-sex domestic partnerships."
It was Gillen and AFA-Michigan president Gary Glenn who teamed up to craft the state's marriage amendment, which was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2004. Glenn alleges that MSU's policy providing spousal-type benefits to school employees' homosexual partners violates the now-amended constitution because it uses taxpayer monies to subsidize those same-sex relationships as if they are equal or similar to marriage.
The pro-family activist argues that state colleges and universities "cannot constitutionally single out government employees involved in homosexual relationships for special treatment, or force Michigan taxpayers to subsidize and incentivize such relationships in violation of our constitution and state law." He contends that university officials justify their policy by portraying that homosexual relationships should be recognized as equal or similar to a marriage. But no state institution is above the law, says Glenn -- and that is why the lawsuit has been filed against Michigan State University.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
