Same-sex Marriage

In a very interesting case that mirrors many aspects of similar situations around the country, the non-biological mother in a lesbian relationship that included children has filed for custody and visitation rights to the children delivered by her former partner. The Detroit Free Press reports:

In an announcement that is surely no surprise to political observers in Michigan, State Rep. Pam Byrnes, the speaker pro-tem of the House, will announce on Sunday Dec. 13 she will seek a seat in the state Senate.
According to AnnArbor.com, Byrnes has this to say in a press release:

Following up on a June surprise, Michigan House Speaker Pro Tem Pam Byrnes on Wednesday announced she had introduced legislation to roll back a 2004 constitutional amendment which bans same-sex marriage in the state.

LANSING — Concerned with the party’s electoral fortunes in 2010, many Michigan Democrats were caught off guard on Friday when State Rep. Pam Byrnes announced she would introduce legislation aimed at reversing the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage OK’d by voters in 2004.

The American Family Association of Michigan, headed by Gary Glenn, has responded to a call by leaders of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights movement to repeal the 2004 marriage amendment by 2012 “delusional.”
In an action alert sent out by the group, Glenn writes:

DETROIT — U.S. Rep. John Conyers, a Detroit Democrat, said Saturday in an interview with Michigan Messenger that the votes are in place in the House Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Gay rights advocates have been working to get the law repealed as more states pass [...]

A new CBS News poll contains data that shows why the controversy over the appearance of Jon Huntsman in Kent County matters — and why the GOP ought to be careful how it treats moderates like him. His appearance was canceled because he favors civil unions for gays and lesbians, something that is anathema to [...]

Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan, was met by about 200 protesters Tuesday night when he arrived at the campus of Central Michigan University to speak about traditional marriage.
Glenn spoke to the Conservative Students organization, which was formerly the Young Americans for Freedom chapter at CMU. He was there [...]

Log Cabin Republicans in Michigan are hailing moves by the Vermont state House and Senate overturning Republican Gov. Jim Douglas’ veto of same-sex marriage legislation approved by Green Mountain State lawmakers. The law, which goes into effect Sept. 1, would make Vermont the fourth state in the country to allow gay marriage.
“I would hope this [...]

The national gay rights organization, Freedom to Marry, has released a pretty interesting study that shows that elected officials who support marriage equality and oppose anti-gay legislation do not suffer at the polls as a result of those votes.