Petitions Are Available to Put LGBTQ Rights on 2020 Ballot

By MUUSJN on Friday, February 28th, 2020

Fair & Equal Michigan Campaign–Let’s Put LGBTQ Rights on 2020 Ballot –Why & How to Get Involved

EVERY MICHIGANDER SHOULD HAVE AN EQUAL RIGHT TO SUCCEED

A growing coalition of community organizations, faith communities, businesses, LGBTQ organizations, and elected officials in Michigan are coming together to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ Michiganders. This month, this coalition launched a Fair and Equal Michigan campaign to put a proposal on the 2020 ballot to amend the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to protect the rights of people based on their gender identity (who they are) and their sexual orientation (who they love).

According to an April 2019 Quinnipiac poll, 92% of Americans do NOT think that “employers should be allowed to fire someone based on their sexual orientation or sexual identity”. Currently, 21 states have provisions in their laws to protect their LGBTQ residents. Leaders from Michigan companies, e.g., DTE Energy, Herman Miller, and Dow, Inc., who want to hire and retain their best people, are backing the petition drive. 40 Michigan communities have adopted ordinances to protect the rights of their LGBTQ citizens. Mayors from the following communities have endorsed this campaign: Kalamazoo, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ferndale, Traverse City, Lansing, Jackson, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.

The MUUSJN Board of Directors voted to support this campaign. We encourage and will support people from Unitarian Universalist and other faith groups statewide to collect signatures on Fair and Equal Michigan petitions. MUUSJN is Working with Inclusive Justice, an interfaith LGBTQ welcoming and advocacy organization, to engage various faith groups in taking this campaign over the top. Now volunteers are needed to help gather 500,000 signatures by the end of May 2020.

Click HERE for ballot collection guidelines.

Campaign Contacts and training are available throughout Michigan:

EASTERN MICHIGAN: Contact Raphael Mojica, (810) 875-1129, raf@fairandequalmichigan.com

CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Contact Egypt Otis. 810-286-5432, egypt@fairandequalmichigan.com

WESTERN MICHIGAN: Contact Brad Langerak, 616-485-3024, brad@fairandequalmichigan.com

NORTHERN MI: Statewide Volunteer Director: Alex Cross, 203-841-9458, alex@fairandequalmichigan.com

Petitions can be mailed to you or you can pick them up at these locations:

  • Grand Rapids, 301 Fuller Avenue NE. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Lansing, 1375 S. Washington Ave., Saturdays 8:30 to 10 a.m. by appointments til March 4th
  • Detroit, 7375 Woodward Ave.9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. (closed 11 a.m. to 12 and 6-7 p.m.)

UU’s are encouraged to request petitions from Randy Block and to return signed petitions to him so we can hold ourselves accountable to do our part on this campaign. Call or text me at 248-224-5572. I will assure that your signed petitions are turned in to the campaign. Please let me know if you have started or plan to encourage people within your faith or community group to get involved with this campaign. With permission of the church, congregation or community group you can collect signatures at an information table. You could also collect signatures outside a post office or near a Secretary of State so long as you don’t block the entrances.

Category: Action Alert, LGBTQ | Tags: ,