3/31/14 - Two candidates seeking the 47th state House district seat are clarifying their differing positions on the issue of same-sex marriage in Michigan. Howell Mayor Phil Campbell is running as a Republican candidate for the seat and said in a press release he was profoundly disappointed by a federal judgeâs ruling that determined Michiganâs ban on same sex marriage was unconstitutional. Democratic candidate Jordan Genso says it was Campbellâs reasoning in the release that led him to call on the mayor to clarify his position in regards to inter-racial marriage. Genso says the constitutional argument in favor of marriage equality is clear in that the 14th Amendment prohibits laws that discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, and other protected classes. Campbell responded to say that the comparison to the ban on interracial marriage is absurd. He said this is a needed conversation heâs happy to have it but Judge Bernard Friedmanâs ruling has removed it from the political process and shut down debate. He says the other side still offers no counter-definition of marriage that would include homosexual relationships but exclude polygamy, incest, and so on. Campbell called the ruling a fundamental denial of the public purpose of marriage, and territory that should have never been waded into. Both press releases may be viewed in their entirety through the attachments below. (JM)
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