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The view of the Superstition Mountains from the backyard of John Celletti and Joe Madej.

(Susan J. Demas)

APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz. -- John Celletti and Joe Madej always planned to live out their golden years in Michigan.

My uncles have been together for 35 years and waited patiently for Michigan to recognize their union. In 2013, they decided they didn't want to wait any longer. They tied the knot in Davenport, Iowa, a quaint city along the Mississippi River where local residents joyfully took part in the festivities.

Joe Madej (left) and John Celletti (right) on a train in Arizona.

Joe retired in 2012 from his media coordinator position at Henry Ford Health System. Less than a year later, John stepped down from his tenure-track position at the University of Detroit Mercy.

They sold their lovely Royal Oak home and moved near Lake Michigan in Saugatuck. Since they love the outdoors, the couple also found a bungalow outside Phoenix so they could spend winters hiking in the Superstition Mountains.

Most of John's family from Michigan had already settled in the Apache Junction area and claimed residency there. When he and his husband had to file their taxes, they learned why.

John has a pension, which is now taxed in Michigan, thanks to the 2011 tax reform championed by Gov. Rick Snyder and the GOP Legislature. That hurt.

But the real indignity is that the state of Michigan, where Joe and John lived and worked for decades, still doesn't recognize their marriage.

There was a glimmer of hope last year when a federal judge overturned Michigan's gay marriage ban. But the state won its appeal -- bucking the national trend of more than 70 percent of Americans living where gay marriage is legal. Now it's up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Last year, the state Legislature wouldn't even add the LGBT community to its non-discrimination law, despite considerable pressure from business groups.

So loving couples like Joe and John are out of luck.

Not only is this painful, but it's also pretty expensive. Joe and John have to file separate state income taxes. (They don't have to for their federal return, as the federal government is more civilized and recognizes their marriage). Joe also isn't eligible to receive John's pension if he dies, which is a serious concern.

Given all this, it's not surprising that the couple is spending more time in Arizona, where their marriage is legal, and will be filing their 2014 taxes there. They may start renting out their Saugatuck home and buy another place out west.

"As nutty as Arizona politics can be, the politicians are smart enough to know the value of a dollar," John told me.

How many other LGBT people are making the same decision? And how can you blame them?

Joe and John are educated professionals who have been deeply involved in their community. John volunteers in conservation and theater organizations. Joe works part-time as a peace officer.

Michigan can't afford to lose folks like them, but its discriminatory policies are shoving them out the door. And Arizona is reaping the rewards.

Michigan is still an out-migration state. We already know that recent college graduates continue to flee, despite Snyder's marketing slogan that we're the "comeback state."

It's clear that many people just aren't buying it.

As for Joe and John, they still consider themselves Michiganders. They'll never stop rooting for Michigan State (for now, their license plates still carry the green Spartan "S"). John still faithfully reads the Grand Rapids Press, (even though he frequently and colorfully disagrees with its editorials).

They never wanted to leave Michigan. They just didn't want to be treated like second-class citizens.

Seems like that shouldn't have been too much to ask.

Susan J. Demas is Publisher and Editor of Inside Michigan Politics, a nationally acclaimed, biweekly political newsletter. She can be reached at susan@sjdemas.com. Follow her on Twitter here.