Reaction, outrage and backlash begin following marriage amendment's passage in Wisconsin

Only days after Wisconsin voters approved an amendment to the state constitution banning same sex marriages and civil unions, Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, began drafting a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would not only ban discrimination, but open the way for state-sanctioned civil unions. The ban would honor the amendment approved by voters on Nov. 7, but according to Erpenbach, would rectify potential problems with the way part of the amendment was worded. He also said it would help ensure that no one is discriminated against under the recently-passed amendment.

Among his comments about the ban, Erpenbach said he does not understand how the state can expect same-sex couples to continue paying taxes and being lawful citizens when they are denied protections and benefits afforded to married couples. He also said supporters of the gay marriage amendment always claimed that they did not intend to discriminate against gay couples, just protect the institution of marriage. “If that's not their intention to discriminate, let's make sure it's in the constitution," Erpenbach said.

You can read more about Erpenbach’s proposed amendment in this article from The Capitol Times.

In a separate news story, some gay and lesbian faculty and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are saying they may quit their jobs because of the state's passage of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions. The fall-out and/or economic impact on the state of Wisconsin from the amendment’s passage certainly has yet to be seen, but clearly, according to this article from Associated Press, some people are serious about moving to and paying taxes to a friendlier state.