Same Sex Wedding ban fails to pass in the Legislature

This attempted constitutional amendment failed on a 65-38 vote, which is eight votes short of the 2/3rds majority required to move the amnedment to the Michigan Senate and then to the ballot for ratification by Michgan's citizens as a constitutional amendment. Thus this attempt at adding a gay marriage ban to the Michigan Constitution failed.

Governor Granholm was apparently pleased at the outcome and her spokesperson noted that Michigan already has a law that bans gay marriage, Michigan does however allow Public Universities and other entities to provide benefits for same-sex couples that are the same as if the couple was married.

The spokesperson also hit the issue right on the head when she said "the governor does not believe the people want government in their bedrooms. Perhaps now we can focus on issues important to Michigan residents”.

Hopefully now the House can focus on the more pressing issues, such as the economy in Michigan, rather than worry about a small minority's pursuit of happiness. Let's face it, even if the courts in Michigan suddenly follow Massachussets' lead (and given the current composition of the Michigan Supreme Court, that's highly unlikey) the overall effect will be shockingly little, and society is quite unlikely to crumble as a result. The sky didn't fall once Public universities and other businesses gave comparable benefits to gay couples and it won't fall if gay marriage is recognized here either.

Interestingly, while the vote was mainly on party lines, 3 Republicans voted against it, 4 Democrats voted for it and 5 Democrats apparently sat there and did not vote at all.