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Ally In Focus: State Rep. Christine Greig Shares Experiences With LGBT Community

BY AJ TRAGER

FARMINGTON HILLS – State Representative Christine Greig, D-Farmington Hills, came to the LGBT Caucus at the recent Michigan Democratic Convention to talk about her experiences with the LGBT community and how statewide discrimination directly affects her immediate family.
Greig was born in the homogenous population of rural Indiana. Growing up, the people around her were either white or Mexican. It wasn't until she attended college that the demographics of her peers diversified and included not just black and international identities but Jewish and LGBT as well. She is the middle child of 12 and says that experience helped shape who she is today in a significant way.
"My mother always said I could do anything the boys could do," Greig told BTL. "The stereotype of the middle child is always about balance and fairness and that has shaped how I've looked at things."
Greig's first deep connection with the LGBT community came in college, at Notre Dame, when her childhood best friend came out. To his surprise, Greig's first reaction was, "Yeah, so what?" She speaks of him now as one of the strongest people she's ever met.
"One of my purposes in life is to show people that everyone is the same no matter what their race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation and that is how we need to live our lives," Greig said.
The Farmington Hills representative had no idea that her and her husband of 24 years would would become the parents of an LGBT-identified child. She's pleased that Farmington and Farmington Hills are a welcoming population. However, like most diverse communities, prejudices do exist; without legislative lead from Lansing, municipalities like Farmington Hills are finding it difficult to overcome those preconceived ideas.
Farmington Hills has had some discussion on adapting a non-discrimination ordinance for the city that would include sexual orientation and gender identity, but Greig says that there are still misconceptions on gender identity. Many community leaders are in need of LGBT education.
"People are willing to talk about it (LGBT identities). The kids are fine; it's the parents. And they are getting better and better," Greig said.
Before winning the election in November, Greig spent over 20 years working in all fields of commerce while maintaining positions on PTA, community and business boards. When she was president of the Farmington Area PTA Council, from 2007-2011, Greig expanded membership by 40 percent, added eight spots on the council and worked closely with local, county and state officials to address school funding issues and parent engagement initiatives.
At the start of the 2015 cycle, Greig signed up for the Workforce and Talent Committee, a group of 14 representatives (eight Republicans and six Democrats), that holds discussion on inclusion and openness and how those practices are good for business. Greig also joined the Education Committee, the Communications and Technology Committee, the Women's Progressive Caucus, the Talent and Place Caucus, the Asian American Caucus and does plan on joining the LGBT caucus.
"My biggest role in that committee (Workforce and Talent Committee) is to poke around and ask what it is doing for women, for minorities, for the LGBT community and what impact does that have on business," Greig said.
Greig wants to open dialogue with the Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce and discuss how diversity benefits the state as well as find ways to keep graduates in Michigan with other members of the State House.
"The first time I met Jon (Hoadley) and Jeremy (Moss), separately, I had to tell them how proud I am. I told them that what they do means so much to me as a mom," Greig told BTL, tearing up. "It just hurts me that people don't accept other people. It doesn't matter the reason. It does hit home more because of my boy."
She is optimistic about the legislative year. Greig, Hoadley and Moss, along with their peers, are developing personal relationships with members of the House from around the state, such as Todd Courser, R-Lapeer County; Gary Glenn, R-Midland; and Cindy Gamrat, R-Allegan, all legislators known for being openly anti-LGBT.
"All of us are working hard to develop personal relationships with our colleagues," Greig explained. "Because once you do that it's hard for them to look you in the eye and try and explain why they don't believe someone is equal to them. There are some things in the legislature that are concerning me regarding passable legislation that would take us backwards not forwards, for example the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the adoption bill. In RFRA you are saying freedom is the ability to discriminate, and I just don't get that line of thinking."
"When my son came out," Greig notes, "that was the point where I said, 'I've tried and tried and tried, and now it's right in my face,' and if I cannot accept my child, how can I accept them (ideals taught through her Catholic upbringing)? I struggled with that for a long time. It's scary to think that some people support that kind of discrimination."

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