Group sues to
stop Michigan State from providing domestic-partner
benefits

Conservatives are going to court to stop Michigan State University from providing health insurance to the domestic partners of the school's gay employees. The American Family Association of Michigan says the university's domestic-partner benefits violate the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage "in substance if not by label." Michigan voters in 2004 approved an amendment declaring the union of a man and a woman as the only agreement recognized as marriage "or similar union for any purpose." When Republican state attorney general Mike Cox ruled that measure banned public employers from offering domestic-partner benefits in future contracts, gay employees of state and local governments sued. That case is currently before the Michigan court of appeal. But attorneys for the Thomas More Law Center say the family association had to file its own lawsuit because it's unclear whether the attorney general has the power to instruct public universities on how to interpret the constitution. The schools have argued that the state constitution gives them latitude to offer the domestic-partner benefits. But a Michigan State spokesman had no immediate comment on the suit. Among the other public universities that would likely be affected by the outcome of Wednesday's lawsuit are the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Northern Michigan, Wayne State, Saginaw Valley, and Oakland. (Sirius OutQ News)