The Arizona Daily Star's editorial staff did the right thing this weekend when they came out against Proposition 102, a ballot measure meant to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

Citing the state's already existing ban on gay marriage, the journos made clear that Proposition 102 has far-reaching – and dangerous – impact:

At best, Proposition 102 is an effort to keep same-sex couples from ever having the right to marry in Arizona. At worst, it is the first step toward possibly ending legal benefits for people who are in same-sex relationships.

Many large companies in Arizona offer gay couples the same kind of benefits afforded to heterosexual couples. If Proposition 102 passes, conservative activists could attempt to take away those benefits based on their opinion that gay marriages are wrong.

A good reason to reject this proposition can be found in Michigan. That state's voters passed a similar constitutional amendment in 2004. Once the new definition of marriage became part of Michigan's Constitution, court actions resulted in the loss of domestic-partner benefits for state employees by 2007.

The piece goes on to assert that gay unions do not threaten marriage, as the right would like you to believe, and that Proposition 102 amounts to nothing more than conservatives trying to "legislate morality."