Elections and Courts Have Consequences in LGBTQ+ Communities On the doorstep of the historic 2020 election, if you haven’t already, please vote! It can have an impact on how our country survives the COVID pandemic and if LGBTQ+ rights can thrive. After the election, here are three events that may interest LGBTQ+ people & their allies: Thanks for Living Your Values

Volunteers Needed To Help Defeat Abortion Ban Click HERE to Sign Up with Planned Parenthood of Michigan On December 23rd, Michigan Right to Life (RTL) submitted 379,418 signatures on petitions to the Michigan Secretary of State to criminalize dilation and extraction, the most safe, commonly used method of abortion in Michigan. The petition is intended by anti-choice activists to go to the Michigan legislature and avoid a certain veto by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Under Michigan law, this petition drive must get 340,047 valid signatures to go to the Michigan legislature. Here are four reasons this petition is just WRONG for Michigan women and Michigan families: If the proposal is adopted by state legislators, the MI ACLU has said it will challenge it in court. YOUR HELP IS […]

Comment on Rule Before 12/19 Click HERE to Offer Your Comments Tell Trump’s Health & Human Services what you think about a rule that would allow federally funded contractors to turn away people in need because of their religion,their sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. Need a home delivered meal and you are gay? Sorry about that!Need to enroll in Headstart and you are a gay couple? Sorry about that!Need to buy birth control pills and you are a single mother? Sorry about that!Are you Jewish and need a subsidized apartment? Sorry about that! This rule violates basic American values that all persons have worth & should be treated with dignity. HHS Rule Would Allow Discrimination vs. Women, LGBTQ People By Federal Contractors Take Action! The Trump administration has issued an […]

Call Your State Representative Click HERE to Find Your State Representative Tell your Representative to call for a hearing on HB 5139 in the Government Operations Committee to Expand Ethnic Intimidation Law to Protect LGBTQ People On October 23rd, State Representative Tim Sneller introduced HB 5139, a bill to provide protections against ethnic intimidation to persons based on their gender identity and their sexual orientation. On October 29th, MUUSJN’s Interfaith Reproductive Justice Coalition voted unanimously to issue this alert to call for hearings on HB 5139. Ethnic intimidation involves maliciously seeking to: intimidate or harass another person; physically contact a person; ordamage their property. Discrimination Toward LGBT People in Michigan Is a Serious Problem Right now Michigan’s Ethnic Intimidation law protects people based on their: race, […]

New Bills Add LGBTQ Protections to Michigan’s Elliot Larsen Civil Rights Act Urge Key Senators to Support SB 351 Urge Key Rep’s to Support HB 4688 BACKGROUND On June 4th, Rep. Jon Hoadley (D-Kalamazoo) and, on June 5th, Senator Jeremy Moss introduced bills to amend Michigan’s main civil rights law, the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act, to protect the LGBTQ community. The new amendments would protect people based on their “sexual identity or expression” (who they are) and their “sexual orientation” (who they love). The Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act, passed in 1976, makes it illegal to discriminate in matters of housing, public accommodations and employment based religion, race, color, national origin, sex marital status, age, height, weight or family status. Michigan’s Civil Rights Commission, in 2018, […]

 Urge Our U.S. Senators to Be Champions To Promote YES Votes on the Equality Act (Both are Equality Act Co-sponsors)  Senator Debbie Stabenow: 1-202-224-4822 & Senator Gary Peters: 1-202-224-6221 BACKGROUND  On May 17th the U.S. House voted 236 – 173 to adopt the Equality Act. Eight Republicans joined all House Democrats in support HR 5, a comprehensive bill that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people based on housing, employment, public accommodations, jury service, federal funding and education.  ADOPTION OF THIS BILL IS A HISTORIC MILESTONE! This was the first time this bill was reported out of committee after it was first introduced in 2015. Thanks to all who called their U.S. Representatives to support this legislation.  […]

Call Your U.S. Representative  Urge To Vote YES on the Equality Act Vote Expected this Friday Click HERE for List of Michigan U.S. Representatives (includes phone numbers & mailing addresses)  Click HERE to find YOUR U.S. Representative BACKGROUND  This year Rep. David Cecilline (D-Rhode Island) re-introduced The Equality Act (HR 5), a bill that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people based on housing, employment, public accommodations, jury service, federal funding and education. This bill was recently adopted by the House Judiciary Committee on a 22-10 vote to advance it to the full House. All democrats voted for the bill; all republicans voted against it.  This bill has 240 co-sponsors, enough to get adopted in the House.  Senator Jeff Merkley has also introduced […]

What’s The Connection Between Water Justice and LGBTQ Rights & The Catholic Church?  It’s PEOPLE … who should ALL be treated with DIGNITY  World Water Day in Michigan- Water Lobbying Day Wednesday, March 20th, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 510 W. Ottawa Street, Lansing for introduction to new water justice bills, press conference, visit legislators. Click HERE for flyer. World Water Day Celebration: Friday, March 22nd, 4 – 9 p.m. at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. For more information and to register for events go to: www.miworldwaterday.org RENEWING CATHOLICISM What is valuable in the Catholic tradition? What needs to be reformed?Saturday, April 13th, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Christ Church, Cranbrook, 470 Church Rd., Bloomfield Hills This FREE […]