In 2004, Michigan voters passed a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. That ban is still in our state constitution today.

In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision made marriage equality the law nationwide, granting LGBTQ+ couples the freedom to marry in all 50 states — including Michigan. But that protection rests entirely on a federal court ruling. If Obergefell were overturned, our state’s constitutional ban would snap back into place, instantly stripping away the rights of thousands of Michigan couples and families.

We’ve already seen how quickly this can happen. When Roe v. Wade was overturned, a decades-old abortion ban suddenly became enforceable again in Michigan until voters acted to protect reproductive rights in our state constitution. We cannot make the same mistake with marriage equality.

Marriage is not just a religious ceremony. While it may have originated in religious traditions, the moment our government incorporated marriage into our civil laws — attaching rights to health insurance, taxes, inheritance, medical decision-making, and more — it became a civil institution. Civil unions and other “separate but equal” arrangements do not grant the same protections or recognition. Creating an entirely new legal structure would be time-consuming, confusing, and unnecessary when the existing institution of marriage already works for heterosexual couples. Equality means access to the same protections under the same name — marriage.

This issue is personal to me.
I have friends and family who have built loving, committed relationships and families here in Michigan. They deserve to know that their marriages will always be recognized, celebrated, and protected — no matter what happens in Washington.

Our constitution should reflect the values of fairness, dignity, and equality that most Michiganders already support.

We call on the Michigan Legislature to introduce and pass a constitutional amendment that:

• Removes the 2004 marriage ban, and
• Replaces it with language explicitly protecting the right to marry for all couples in Michigan.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer and our legislators must act now to safeguard equality permanently. Let’s ensure that in Michigan, love always wins.