Member-only story
They’re Coming for Our Marriages: My Michigan Rep Seeks to End Gay Marriage
He also wants to outlaw adult gender-transition care.
I don’t know where to start this story about queer rights under legal assault. How about on a deeply personal level, a memory of love and grief?
After my de facto husband Lenny died just before the turn of the millennium, I was evicted from the Manhattan home we shared for a decade. Our co-op agreement specified that only immediate family could inherit, and since same-sex couples could not marry then, I was out — with nothing but tears and cardboard boxes that couldn’t truly contain our memories. Our oh-so-liberal co-op board were just broken up about it (they assured me!) but claimed, “Our hands are tied.”
“In terms of endgame,” asked Rep. Josh Schriver of Michigan, “why are we allowing these [transgender healthcare] practices for anyone? If we are going to stop this for anyone under 18, why not apply it for anyone over 18?”
The board’s hands were not actually tied. Changing the bylaws would have been controversial and difficult, but they didn’t even try. Isn’t that the way of things? People are often…
