Polls show gay marriage support slipping in Michigan yet some Republicans are giving up on family values to push the gay agenda

As recent polls show more and more Michiganders are now moving away from supporting gay marriage, the pro-gay marriage side tries to push their agenda through at a rapid pace. 

A brief signed by 25 past and present Republicans is among 31 briefs filed Monday supporting throwing out Michigan’s ban on same sex marriage.

The brief was signed by 15 former members of either the state or U.S. House of Representatives, including former Speaker of the House Rick Johnson, of LeRoy, U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz, of Battle Creek, and state Rep. Chris Ward of Howell.

Jennifer Gratz

It was also signed by Richard McLellan, a well-known constitutional attorney who has advised many Republican politicians, Jennifer Gratz, who led the fight against affirmative action policies at the University of Michigan but now is a permanent resident of Fort Myers Florida and Greg McNeilly, a prominent Republican staffer who was Dick Devos’ right hand man.  

Greg McNeilly was the Campaign Manager for Devos for Governor and is Chief Operating Officer of Devos’ The Windquest Group.  Greg McNeilly is also is founder of the Michigan Freedom Fund, a fiscally conservative, but socially liberal political organization

Greg McNeilly, 42, left of Grand Rapids, attempting to marry his 

longtime partner Doug Meeks, 37, of Lansing, 

outside the Ingham County courtroom

that has attacked Dave Agema and other Christian conservatives.  Greg McNeilly was also one of about 300 same sex couples who were married in the hours after U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman struck down Michigan’s ban on same sex marriage as a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause.

Leon Drolet

Former state Rep. Leon Drolet, a Macomb County Libertarian leaning Republican also signed the brief.  According to  Macomb Daily Poltical Reporter Chad Selweski , in his Sept 1st 2013 report, and Joel Kurth's editorial in the Detroit News on May 14, 2013 it is noted that  Leon Drolet is known as a gay man..  Leon Drolet said the brief serves two purposes: showing federal judges how prominent Republicans feel about the issue and providing an example for fellow Republicans.  

“Republicans in general and activists who do support equality for gay citizens can feel that they’re not alone out there and they can come out of the closet so to speak in support of equality,” said Drolet, one of three Republicans who voted against the same sex marriage ban in 2004.

The briefs filed Monday in support of throwing out the ban included labor organizations, law professors, and a group of 53 large and small businesses, including Starbucks, Google, Marriott Intl., Oracle, Pfizer and Intel.

Others former Republican lawmakers from Michigan signing the brief are: former state Reps. Daniel Acciavatti, Lyn Bankes, Jan Dolan, Susan Grimes Gilbert, Patricia Godchaux, Doug Hart, Dave Honigman,

Patricia Godchaux

Mike Pumford, Judith Scranton and Jerry Vorva.

They came the same day as the U.S. Court of Appeals scheduled Aug. 6 oral arguments in the case same sex couple April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse filed so they could adopt each others special needs children. The case turned into a trial on Michigan’s ban on same sex marriage, passed by voters in 2004 by a 59-41% margin.

Friedman struck down the ban on March 21 and for a day in Michigan, same sex marriage was legal, allowing 299 couples to marry. State Attorney General Bill Schuette appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals and asked them to halt the marriages until they could hear the case, which the appeals court did.

"Republicans shouldn't back down"said Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan, a

Gary Glenn

Republican primary hopeful for U.S. Senate in 2012. Standing firm against gay marriage could attract blacks, Hispanics and union members to the party, Glenn said in 2013.

Gary is right on this issue and Stacy Swimp a prominent black conservative speaker  and minister agrees.  It was told to this author by Rev Swimp, that blacks in Detroit are fiscally and socially conservative.  The are looking for a political party to listen to them and address their needs. For many years they thought that party was the Democrat party with all the perks they were getting, but now they feel the Democrat party has abandoned  them by abandoning family values.

Stacy Swimp

Just this past March Stacy Swimp and other pastor's reached out to the Michigan Republican Party and to the unproven appointed RNC State Director of African American Engagement for Michigan but there was not one reply to their repeated requests for help keep marriage between a man and woman.

The Republican Establishment would rather sell out the party's values just to remain in power.