A Michigan appeals-court decision prohibiting public universities and state and local governments from providing health-insurance benefits to same-sex partners has gay activists up in arms. They're worried it might adversely affect 17 other states with similar bans.
While 27 states have constitutional amendments defining marriage as only between one man and one woman, 18 also prohibit legal recognition of civil unions or same-sex partnerships.
Sean Kosofsky, director of policy for the Triangle Foundation, said he was disappointed that the court made the connection.
"This is the first appellate court in the nation to ever say that health insurance gay and lesbian couples receive are the same as marriage," he told Family News in Focus.
Monte Stewart, president of the Marriage Law Foundation, said keeping the issue out of the courts has been one of the goals of the gay activism.
"Gay and lesbian advocates have been very careful," he said, "because they believe that the federal courts will not be sympathetic to their situation and they do not want to create adverse precedent."
The state appellate-court ruling set the stage for future federal fights on the subject. Glen Lavy, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, said more states may jump on the bandwagon.
"Hopefully other states, when faced with the same question," he said, "will answer it the same way."
