Advertisement

NOW Endorses Fair Michigan

BY BTL STAFF

EAST LANSING – On Dec. 14 the Michigan chapter of NOW (the National Organization for Women) issued a press release announcing their support of a ballot initiative to amend the state constitution to include protections for women and the LGBT community.
The announcement comes one week after a community meeting in which over 100 activists gathered at Washtenaw Community College to discuss the challenges a ballot initiative presents and the feasibility of winning.
The meeting took place five weeks after attorney Dana Nessel formally announced the creation of Fair Michigan, a 2016 ballot committee working to add constitutional protections for women and the LGBT community.
Most of the state's LGBT organizations and leadership have urged caution and careful analysis before officially moving ahead on the ballot initiative. Fair Michigan still has to submit the final language of the proposed ballot question and then is tasked with obtaining a minimum of 315,354 signatures from registered voters to qualify for the 2016 ballot. The final 2014 meeting of Board of State Canvassers took place Dec. 14 without Fair Michigan's language having been filed.
Michigan NOW has a long history of working for women's rights in the state and hopes that a partnership with Fair Michigan to pass a constitutional amendment to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation will strengthen their work for equality.
In the press release, Michigan NOW said it believes that "now is the time for a constitutional amendment" and highlighted the need for guaranteed protections for all citizens in the state.
"People just assume that women's rights are guaranteed and that discrimination is illegal. Unfortunately, that's not the case. I firmly believe that the people of Michigan want women to be treated fairly and that they will vote for the Fair Michigan ballot initiative," Michigan NOW President Danielle Troia said in the release.
Currently in Michigan, women and LGBT individuals do not have protections against being denied housing or being fired from their job for being LGBT or for announcing a pregnancy. Fair Michigan hopes to change that by adding a ballot question to the 2016 ballot that would bypass the Michigan Legislature and grant protections through a constitutional amendment.
At the community gathering held Dec. 7, Government Relations Coordinator of the American Association of University of Women of Michigan Mary Pollock discussed the AAUW's support of Fair Michigan and how it will take more than just the women's groups to get the initiative passed in the state.
"I don't think the women's movement can carry this. The LGBT community is going to carry this. We are going to be a grateful partner and a lot of us with equal rights amendment battle experience will be helping and will be supportive, but I think now is the time to do it," Pollock said. "We need to bring the community together to make it happen, deal with our fears and education. We have a moment in time because of marriage equality. If we wait four years, we may may lose that momentum."
The most sobering news out of the Dec. 7 meeting was the 42 percent (modeling number) released by Amy Mello, public engagement director from Freedom for All Americans, that painted a radically different picture of the electorate in Michigan than the majority support polling reported out of Fair Michigan.
With the clear support of women's groups, Fair Michigan now needs to gain endorsements from the many LGBT organizations working in the state. In a recent call, Nessel told BTL that Fair Michigan does have other endorsements, but official announcements are pending.
Mark Schauer, in closing remarks at the Dec. 7 community gathering, urged Nessel and LGBT leaders in the state to sit down within seven to 10 days and see if there is indeed a path forward to win. At press time, that meeting had been scheduled for Dec. 15.

Advertisement
Advertisement

From the Pride Source Marketplace

Go to the Marketplace
Directory default
Small and large residential and commercial jobs.
Learn More
Directory default
Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce MemberNeed customized apparel for your next event? In…
Learn More
Directory default
Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce MemberPrideSource.com is published by Pride Source Media…
Learn More
Advertisement