Ban gay marriage, two Michigan GOP governor candidates say at debate – Bridge Michigan
Rebandt, a pastor at Oakland Hills Community Church in Farmington Hills, said he also supports the state’s old ban on same-sex marriage.
“The Michigan Constitution says that for the betterment of society, marriage is between a man and a woman,” Rebandt said, paraphrasing the amendment. “I draw the line where God does.”
GOP gubernatorial candidates Tudor Dixon and Kevin Rinke did not weigh in on the same-sex marriage question during the debate. Both have told Bridge they would support new laws limiting classroom conversation about sexual orientation and gender identity in Michigan schools.
Nessel, who before taking office helped overturn Michigan’s gay marriage ban as a private attorney, on Sunday predicted the Roe decision will prompt “many lawsuits” asserting states’ rights to again ban same-sex marriage.
Nessel represented April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, a Hazel Park couple who initially sued the state because of their inability to jointly adopt their children. Their case expanded to challenge Michigan’s gay marriage ban on the grounds it violated their equal protection rights and put their children at risk.
Speaking with reporters Sunday after a Pride event at the Michigan Capitol, Nessel noted the 2015 same-sex marriage ruling was a 5-4 decision, and the court has since grown more conservative with three appointments by Trump.
If reversed, Michigan LGBT supporters would have to try to preserve their marriage rights with a petition drive for a constitutional amendment, said Nessel, who is gay and married.
“I think there would be the wherewithal to collect the signatures and have such a valid proposal passed,” but it shouldn’t be necessary, Nessel said.
“We fought so hard to have marriage equality, for so many years, and it’s only been seven years” since the 2015 decision, she added. Reversal would “do even more damage to the United State Supreme Court. Nobody’s going to respect their rulings.”