GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.-- The ruling from U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals got a lot of reaction Thursday, especially from couples who were hoping to get married or who tied the knot during the brief period when it was legal in Michigan.
“It's the lifelong commitment," ,” said Jason Kalis, who got married in April in Washington D.C. "We decided it was important after the overturn of DOMA [Defense of Marriage Act] to protect each other and protect our son."
Kalis said the best day of his life was marrying his partner so they would be able to provide their son with the life he deserves and have the same rights heterosexual couples have.
“When they told us we could get married we didn't even think about it, we knew that’s what we were going to do," ,” said Jeff Turmell who married his partner Jacob back in March. "We knew we wanted to be a part of history, because this is history in the making."
Jacob and Jeff Turmell became "and," as they like to say, in Muskegon this past March. Both couples today were disappointed when they got the news that Michigan would uphold gay marriage bans.
“My son does not have the legal rights of two parents and that makes a big difference in so many ways, in ways you don't recognize,” said Kalis.
Kalis, upset by the decision, took part in a Marriage for Michigan rally Thursday, believing the appeals court ruling is a huge setback.
“So when we heard the 6th Circuit had upheld the ban, I was personally concerned for my own family and our rights,” he said.
Jeff and Jacob agree that the decision is disappointing but think it's just a hiccup in the ultimate outcome.
“I think the Supreme Court needs to make the final decision," said Jacob. "There is a lot of gray right now and ambiguity among the states. The Supreme Court needs to come in and clean this up. So I think this is a good thing, because I think it needs to get pushed to the Supreme Court."
Jacob and Jeff hope the ambiguity that makes some parts of their life confusing will eventually be clearer. Meanwhile, they must deal with some contradictions.
“So the federal government says they are going to acknowledge [the marriage], but the state says they won't. So what does that mean? It means I can’t change my name on my driver's license, but I can change it on my social security card?”
“Even though we had a minor setback and a minor delay today, I think there’s so many great things that we have accomplished, and that’s what we have to stay focused on," said Jacob. "It’s just a matter of time,”
“If our marriage license in Washington D.C was recognized here in Michigan, it would matter in so many ways for our family,” Kalis said.
