Gay and lesbian
faculty and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
say they might quit their jobs because of the state's
passage of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex
marriage and civil unions. "I think that a lot of
people are looking elsewhere," said Concha Gomez, an
academic staff member in the mathematics department.
Meeting Wednesday with about 100 concerned
students, faculty, and staff, U.W.-Madison chancellor
John Wiley said the amendment makes it unlikely that
Wisconsin's legislature will add health insurance benefits
for domestic partners. U.W.-Madison is the only school
in the Big 10 that doesn't offer health insurance
coverage for domestic partners, which puts the
university at a competitive disadvantage in recruiting and
retaining employees, he said.
Gomez said she started looking for jobs in other
states the day after the amendment passed. She said
she and her partner entered into a civil union in
Vermont in 2000, but now they fear they have no legal rights
in Wisconsin.
Dennis Miller, an employee in the art
department, told Wiley that his partner resigned his
job in the admissions office Tuesday over the issue.
Some employees vowed to lobby state lawmakers for
domestic-partner benefits despite the overwhelming
vote last week for the amendment.
Wiley said a state law that defines "family" for
insurance purposes must be changed before the
university can offer the benefits. Lawmakers have
repeatedly rejected attempts to do so, and every other
attempt by the U.W. to find ways around the law has failed,
he said.
"In this one instance we are now apparently
forced to discriminate very much against our will," he
said. While a team of employees reviews the potential
ramifications, Wiley said, current benefits and
services offered for gay couples will remain in place unless
a court orders the U.W. to change them.
The campus helps domestic partners of newly
hired employees find jobs and receive in-state
tuition. The partners can also qualify for library cards
and passes to U.W. recreational facilities, among other
benefits. To qualify, they fill out a form verifying
they are in a committed relationship with commingled finances.
Eric Trekell, director of the campus lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender center, said the
university's response will be key in whether it
retains gay employees such as himself. He applauded Wiley's
pledge that Madison would continue to be a welcoming
place for all employees.
Trekell said he has received e-mails from people
"as they are crying at their computers and students
just enraged and vowing vengeance." "The people of the
state of Wisconsin said it's not merely gay marriage,"
he said. "They said, 'We're not going to recognize
your relationships at all.'" (Ryan J. Foley, AP)
