Michigan Rep. Josh Schriver said he plans to introduce a resolution to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn same-sex marriage.
Schriver, a Republican who represents Oxford Township, Brandon Township, Addison Township and parts of Oakland, Macomb and Washington townships, made the announcement on X.
In it, he called for SCOTUS to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. He said that the ruling "is at odds with the sanctity of marriage."
The Republican has previously posted on X saying, "Make gay marriage illegal again," and said, "American only 'accepted' gay marriage after it was thrust into her by a perverted Supreme Court ruling."
Schriver held a news conference on Tuesday to unveil his resolution.
"Michigan Christians follow Christ’s definition of marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman, an institution established to glorify God and produce children,” Schriver said during his press conference. “Children raised by same sex couples face greater challenges in education, employment, and self sufficiency compared to those raised by a mother and a father.”
Since becoming legal in June of 2015, thousands of same sex couples have been married in Michigan. Many of them are now on edge after Schriver's resolution, which was co-sponsored by 6 other State Representatives.
“It just doesn’t make any sense. We're going forward, why are we going backwards?” Jeff Hickey said.
Jeff married his husband, Mychael, in August. The couple, both in their early 30s, met in 2019.
“I've always wanted to get married growing up and have that opportunity to be with the person I love," said Mychael. "For the longest time, it wasn’t available to us.”
That changed in 2015 when Mychael was in college. That's when the US Supreme Court ruling legalized same sex marriage nationwide.
“I just remember all of my other gay friends were so excited," said Mychael. "We went out to the bars, we were able to celebrate we finally had rights, we were finally able to get married.”
But now 10 years after the ruling, Schriver has put forth his resolution.
“Marriage belongs to one man and one woman, this is a biological necessity to preserve and grow our human race,” Schriver said during his press briefing.
The resolution he's proposing calls for the State House to condemn the Supreme Court ruling and reaffirm marriage as a union between a man and woman.
“Now is the time to do the right thing. Now is the time to reassert the sovereignty of Christ as our king. Now is the time to restore the authority of God and submit our will to he who knows what's best," said Schriver during his press conference.
Democrats have been quick to push back.
“This is about real lives and real families who are impacted and could be broken up if we don't protect the right to be married in this state and this country,” said Representative Jason Morgan of Ann Arbor.
“This is personal for me, just like so many Michiganders," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer in a video posted on social media. "I’m not going to allow people I love most in the world to have less rights than anyone else.”
As for couples like the Hickeys, the fact this resolution was proposed sparks concern.
“Very heartbreaking and sad because we just got married, we just had this exciting moment in our life and to have all this fear put upon us, something I never thought would happen again,” said Mychael.
“It's nerve-wracking to constantly have to be worried about what you're going through, am I going to be legally married, am I not going to be legally married," said Jeff.
The Log Cabin Republicans of Metro Detroit, an organization representing LGBT conservatives and allies, released a statement in response to the resolution:
Freedom and individual liberty are cornerstones of conservative values.
Any attempt to undermine the rights of loving, committed same-sex couples goes against the principles of limited government and personal freedom that our party stands for. The institution of marriage strengthens families and communities, regardless of sexual orientation.
Newly elected Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel responded to the plan on X.
"Unfortunately, this isn’t a surprise coming from Josh Schriver and the right-wing extremists that populate Matt Hall’s Republican caucus—and it’s deeply dangerous," he wrote. "Schriver is attacking hundreds of thousands of Michiganders who are beloved members of the community, and he doesn't deserve to serve the people of Michigan."
“This resolution is nothing more than cruel political theater and a bigoted attempt to stir up fear and division at the expense of real families,” Equality Michigan Executive Director Erin Knott said in a statement. “Marriage equality has been the law of the land for nearly a decade, and the vast majority of Americans support it. But make no mistake – this isn’t just about marriage. It’s part of a broader agenda to strip LGBTQ+ people of their fundamental rights.”
Last February, many lawmakers blasted a post Schriver reposted on X touting a white supremacist theory called "The Great Replacement."
Schriver reposted the post showing a map that had Black figures in most of the world and white figures in the northern parts of the world with the words "the great replacement."
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the theory dates back to the early 20th century when a French writer said native white Europeans are being replaced by non-white immigrants from Africa and the Middle East. It's grown in recent years and along with being used by white supremacists, it's also used in antisemitism.
Later in February 2024, Schriver lost his committee assignment and staff after posting the image.
Schriver won reelection in 2024, getting 68.1% of the votes over Democrat Shawn Almeranti-Crosby.
Editor's note: Wedding photography featured in the video news package is by Reese Oliver: Reeseoliverphoto.com
