Gay couple in
Michigan denied membership at family center

A gay couple has been denied a family membership at the Warren, Mich., Community Center. A city official says it's because Michigan doesn't recognize same-sex marriages. Mark Jeason, 38, and Martin Murdick, 45, have been together about 18 years. They say they are considering leaving the Detroit suburb after 14 years to protest the denial. Jeason said center employees told him that only husbands, wives, and their children under 18 qualify for family rates. "It was kind of hurtful. I don't count as a citizen of Warren," Jeason told The Detroit News on Monday. "I definitely won't go [to the community center] for that plain fact, unless they welcomed me as a family." Warren parks and recreation director Henry Bowman said the city is just following Michigan law. Jeason and Murdick "don't fit the definition of a family," Bowman said. "Same-sex couples are not legally married in Michigan. That's the only definition we can go with. How could we differentiate between two friends living in the same household?" An adult pass at the center costs $230 a year, while a family pass is $500. Jeason said that while two adult passes are a better deal, he is upset that the center will not recognize him and Murdick as a family. (AP)