Tag: LGBT

Michigan Republicans move to strip power of local governments to protect workers and the LGBT community

Michigan Republicans move to strip power of local governments to protect workers and the LGBT community

Republicans have successfully branded themselves as the party that worships “local governmental control”. They want federal regulations repealed and the power given to the states on all sorts of things from the environment to the Affordable Care Act. But, when it comes to actual local control, where local municipalities set their own rules, the whole idea of “local governmental control” […]

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GOP opponents of same-sex marriage visit Michigan, ignore public support for marriage equality

GOP opponents of same-sex marriage visit Michigan, ignore public support for marriage equality

To call their stubborn refusal to listen to the public “tone deaf” is an understatement. On Tuesday, three vocal opponents of marriage equality visited Michigan — a state where a recent poll shows strong support for legalizing same-sex marriage. New state-based polling data from the Public Religion Research Institute shows that Michigan voters favor marriage equality by an overwhelming margin: […]

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Michigan Democratic legislators call for legal protections for LGBT people

Michigan Democratic legislators call for legal protections for LGBT people

In a move that demonstrates the Democratic principle of fairness for all, lawmakers seek update to Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. In a press conference today, members of the House and Senate Democratic caucuses urged an update of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) that will protect Michiganders from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Placing LGBT […]

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Michigan Republicans carry out callous, sneaky attacks on women, LGBT people and families

Michigan Republicans carry out callous, sneaky attacks on women, LGBT people and families

With control over every aspect of Michigan’s government, Republicans are no longer even trying to hide their contempt for anyone they disagree with. By the time you read this post, there’s a good chance the Michigan GOP will have pulled another underhanded stunt. They’re becoming an everyday occurrence. But for now, I’ll focus on two power grabs on April 28 […]

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When religious exemptions become law: How RFRA hurts everyone

When religious exemptions become law: How RFRA hurts everyone

A look at what’s at stake if RFRA legislation comes to Michigan. On April 28, the Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee will take testimony and debate Senate Bill 4, the Michigan Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Although a vote is not expected on SB 4 that day, odds are good there will be one eventually. And understanding the implications of RFRA […]

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INTERVIEW: Meet Jayne Rowse & April DeBoer, two Michigan women at the center of this week’s SCOTUS marriage equality case

INTERVIEW: Meet Jayne Rowse & April DeBoer, two Michigan women at the center of this week’s SCOTUS marriage equality case

With the U.S. Supreme Court hearing testimony tomorrow on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans in places like Michigan, I thought it would be a good time to repost my interview with April DeBoer and Jayne Rowze. Although much has happened since our interview a bit over a year ago – like the addition of a fourth child to their […]

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Michigan Senate committee to hear testimony on RFRA bill the same day marriage equality case is at Supreme Court

Michigan Senate committee to hear testimony on RFRA bill the same day marriage equality case is at Supreme Court

Sneaking this hearing in on a historic day for the LGBT community is dirty politics. Take action to make sure testimony opposing RFRA legislation gets heard. It’s hard not to be cynical about the timing of the Michigan Senate committee hearing on “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (RFRA) legislation on April 28th. The same day DeBoer v Snyder, the case for […]

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Discriminatory adoption bills move to the Michigan Senate for a likely vote

Discriminatory adoption bills move to the Michigan Senate for a likely vote

Legislation would give state-funded, faith-based agencies the right to refuse service to anyone on religious grounds. Those of us who support equality for all were hoping for the best, but were largely unsurprised by the 4-1 vote by the Michigan Senate Families, Senior & Human Services Committee to send a package of discriminatory adoption bills for consideration and a likely […]

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ACTION: Voice opposition to RFRA adoption bills in Michigan Senate committee Wednesday

ACTION: Voice opposition to RFRA adoption bills in Michigan Senate committee Wednesday

Senate Families, Seniors and Human Services Committee to meet on bills that would allow adoption agencies to refuse placement of children based on religious objections. Once again, the Michigan Legislature isn’t wasting any time moving forward with bills that could hurt Michigan children and families, and the voices of Michiganders who oppose faith-based discrimination need to be heard. On Wednesday, […]

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Michigan couple seeks to prove that pizza lovers support marriage equality – not bigotry – with GoFundMe campaign

Michigan couple seeks to prove that pizza lovers support marriage equality – not bigotry – with GoFundMe campaign

When the owner of Memories Pizza in Indiana recently told reporters that she would refuse to bake pies for wedding receptions if the couple were gay or lesbian, the story went viral. Lawrence Billy Jones III set up a GoFundMe page to “relieve the financial loss endured by the proprietors’ stand for faith” and he encouraged supporters of the homophobic […]

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In the pursuit of LGBT equality, we’ve got to keep the faith

In the pursuit of LGBT equality, we’ve got to keep the faith

This isn’t about religion. It’s about faith in humankind. I’m not a religious person. I’m spiritual — Buddhist-inspired — but not religious. But I have faith. I have faith that people are better than what we are seeing in those who would use religion as a license to discriminate. Laws like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) passed in Indiana […]

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