Lawsuit Challenges Ann Arbor Schools' Same-Sex Benefits

[meganmonkey]

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2913397

LANSING, Mich. The first legal challenge to same-sex benefits since Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage could be considered sooner than expected.

A religious law center and 17 taxpayers are asking the Michigan Court of Appeals to stop the Ann Arbor Public Schools from providing same-sex benefits.

In court papers, they cite the constitutional amendment known as Proposal Two.

The Thomas More Law Center first filed suit in 2003, but a Washtenaw County court ruled it didn't have standing, or the right to sue.

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Here we go :eyes:. I know folks who will be effected by this. It sucks ass.

[AP]

1. The money used defending this case could be used to provide students...

...with educational resources.

And if the suit succeeds, it means that good, qualified teachers will leave Michigan for states where they can get better pay/benefits packages.

Nobody wins except a bunch of people who value nasitness and making people miserable.

[marmar]

2. it didn't take them long, did it?

Sad and pathetic. For whatever reason the Sons of the Third Reich have chosen our state (affirmative action, gay marriage) as sort of a test lab for their extremist agenda. I hope they're ready to fight.

:mad:

[meganmonkey]

3. You can always trust the Monahan/Domino's people to

support those Sons of the Third Reich! In Ann Arbor, of all places. Lord knows, this will be fought. I hope that the courts don't let this happen.
Utah ended up having to GUARANTEE certain rights to gay partners because they worded the initiative so poorly that it took rights away from kids being raised by grandparents and stuff, kinda funny actually:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4771161,00.html

Well, if anyone in Michigan can fight this, it is Ann Arbor.

[marmar]

8. True ...

Ann Arbor can and will fight this one. I'm getting my protest sign ready now...

[noonwitch]

15. Unfortunately, Ann Arbor is going to lose this one

When that initiative passed last fall to ban gay marriage, it also bans any company or government body within Michigan from paying for same sex couple benefits.
The Governor was going to propose those benefits for state employees, but was not able to due to the passage of that law. This issue will eventually end up in front of the USSC, if a ballot initiative law can be challenged in the courts. I don't know if it can or not, I'm not a lawyer. I hope that they can challenge it and I hope they win, but I'm not counting on it. The Michigan courts have been stacked with conservatives by the previous governor. Unless Giddings in Ingham County hears it, well, I doubt that the challenge will be successful unless it can get kicked to the federal courts.

Ann Arbor has some other "special" laws that defy state law. One is their pot law, the other is the law they passed in case Roe v Wade is overturned and Michigan outlaws abortion. Their law will allow it in Ann Arbor.

Monahan is a scumbag. The DeVos' are scumbags. They claim to be christians-I can think of better christian ways of spending their money than using the legal system to harrass gays. Perhaps using the money they'll spend on legal fees to feed the hungry and house the homeless would please Jesus more? Hungry poor people will even eat crappy pizza, if it's all they have available. He did command christians to feed the poor, clothe the naked and visit the incarcerated, but said nothing about denying gays benefits or marriage....

[jdj]

16. is it a domestic partnership law?

that applies to gay as well as unmarried straight couples. I would like to see them do this across the board, and piss off even more people than they intended to. They are entrenched in gov't nationwide, and because of this they'll have to be exposed nationwide, which means their policies have to get out there to the public and be seen for what they are. It's gonna be a long, constipated, kidney-stone passing ordeal.

[atreides1]

7. I've Got News For You My Friend

The Sons of the Third Reich have chosen this country as their stepping stone to accomplish what they failed to do, and 59 million
"Americans", voted to let them do it.

And it's already a fact that they are prepared to fight to implement their agenda. The question we should be asking, is are we prepared to
fight back and destroy them utterly, showing the same mercy to them
that they would show to us?

That is a question that we who believe in Democarcy and equal rights for all, will have to answer.

But we better not wait too long.

[marmar]

9. Agreed

The tendency among us is to be a little more compassionate and open-minded with them than they are with us, but you can't do that with these people. You've got to be just as uncompromising!

[BiggJawn]

14. They're going to try it in Indiana, too.

Not just schools, ANY company that offers "Domestic Partner" bennies would see that made illegal under Indiana law...

[soleft]

4. Is it one of those state laws that ban civil unions as well

[meganmonkey]

5. Pretty much - Here's the language :

Opponents and some analysts said voters never focused closely on the specific language of the amendment, which provides that "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."


The Coalition for a Fair Michigan aimed most of its criticism at the "similar union for any purpose" phrase. The proposal, they said, would have sweeping and radical consequences.

http://www.freep.com/news/mich/gaymarriage3e_20041103.htm

[soleft]

12. Not that I'm in any way wanting or supporting the federal amendment

But I wonder if a federal amendment which allowed civil unions passed - would it make this and all laws banning civil unions unconstitutional.

[meganmonkey]

13. It seems absurd that it should have to come to that

but it may. Of course it would require significant control over Congress that we don't have at this point...

I remember reading some sort of article last year about young kids (middle school age) and how they don't even undertstand all the hullabaloo about gay marriage/civil unions since they are exposed to so much when they are young. Like it is getting 'normalized' in the next generations. It made me very hopeful.

[booksenkatz]

6. It amazes me that these people would work so hard to

make sure that some people on this planet are not taken care of. That is their goal, to remove benefits simply because of their petty personal hatreds. What would Jesus do?? I'm pretty sure he instructed his followers to take care of their fellow man, right?

[StuckinKS]

10. Their agenda is to rescind as many gay rights as possible

Kansas is on the verge of passing an even more heinous constitutional amendment. The proponents of this same-sex marriage ban consistently state that it will not limit benefits, but that will be the first thing they attack in the courts following passage. And the Michigan law's language sound positively uplifting compared to Kansas' "no relationship shall be entitled to the rights and incidences of marriage."

Fundies aren't interested in their fellow man; they only care about supposed moral superiority.

[Occulus]

11. If they thought they could get away with it

they would kill off people like me.

Guys like Hoogendyk and DeVos- fuckers all- WILL get what's coming to them if they insist on pushing much harder.

I fully expect to see states start recriminalizing homosexuality when the freaks supporting shit like this find out we're still here, that we haven't gone away somewhere.

I'm just waiting for the penny to drop, I guess...