As McMorrow Exits, Amanda Treppa Brings Authentic Queer Energy to State Senate Race
The bisexual Royal Oak candidate is running with an almost entirely LGBTQ+ team and won't back down from defending trans rights
When asked how her identity as a bisexual woman informs her campaign for Michigan’s District 10 state senate seat, Amanda Treppa is unequivocal. "It informs all of it, because that's who I am," she told Pride Source in a recent interview.
Unlike many politicians who carefully manage their public image, Treppa is direct in her interactions with voters, especially online. "I'm from the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez school where you just respond," she told Pride Source, referencing the U.S. representative's approach to engaging directly with constituents and critics on social media. "People are shocked when I answer them. I stand 10 toes down. I don't understand why that would be controversial."
Treppa built her campaign staff almost entirely from the LGBTQ+ community, a deliberate choice that reflects not just representation, but her belief that people need to see themselves in the politicians asking for their votes. "We're a safe space for all of us," she said. "I think that's one of the biggest commonalities with our district. We're all very different and have very different backgrounds, but that matters because it's genuine."
The candidate for Michigan Senate District 10 — which spans Warren, Berkley, Royal Oak, Ferndale, Madison Heights, Clawson and other communities across Macomb and Oakland counties — comes to the race with a specific kind of lived experience. She's familiar with systems that fail people. As a child, she experienced homelessness and foster care after her mother struggled with substance use disorder. She was adopted at 8. She worked her way through Western Michigan University studying musical theater and went on to minor acting roles in "Law & Order," "Orange is the New Black" and off-Broadway productions before shifting to the corporate fitness industry.
While working in fitness industry leadership, Treppa created a queer pride alliance at one of her companies. She experienced severe workplace abuse from a supervisor who required her to work while still recovering from a miscarriage. Months later, during her next pregnancy, she experienced several complications at 27 weeks, months before her due date, but her employer again offered no accommodations, despite doctors' warnings.
"It was agonizing and my work again didn't give me any time off," she said. "Then, I had crippling postpartum on the other side. I kept thinking, ‘None of what you do in these spaces matters. You're just a number.’"
That experience led her to champion the Workplace Psychological Safety Act, model legislation coordinated by the End Workplace Abuse organization that's been introduced in 25 states. The core problem it addresses is workplace bullying and abuse that isn't tied to discrimination based on race, gender or other protected statuses. Current law, Treppa explains, only protects workers if they can prove the abuse was motivated by discrimination — an often near-impossible standard. The Act would make psychological abuse itself illegal, regardless of whether it targets a specific demographic.
Rhode Island passed the bill in 2024 and it's moving forward in several other states. Treppa notes that the law would protect LGBTQ+ workers who are frequently targeted with bullying that takes the form of isolation or what's known as DARVO — deny the abuse happened, attack the person who complained, then claim the complainer is the real problem. "There are things that do not currently have specifics to be able to hold up in court," she said. "The Workplace Psychological Safety Act would give us language to prove that pattern happened and hold employers accountable."
Treppa has worked with advocates across multiple states to advance the bill and hopes to bring it to Michigan legislators soon.
At her current job as people and culture manager at Detroit Action, a Detroit-based civic engagement organization, she's putting that knowledge into practice. She built the HR department from scratch and is specifically focused on protecting LGBTQ+ workers — particularly from isolation and the kind of dismissal tactics that don't currently have legal recourse. "When we're looking at our queer community, isolation is something that really comes up," she said.
The district Treppa is running sits at the intersection of many of Michigan's communities. It's majority-minority with a large queer community, significant Muslim and Arab populations and a substantial Jewish community. She describes it as reflecting "the best of Michigan." She was born and raised in Macomb County and now lives in Royal Oak with her daughter.
Treppa's campaign has drawn dozens of endorsements from leaders like State Senators Mallory McMorrow (the current District 10 senator) and Sylvia Santana and Ferndale Mayor Raylon Leaks-May. Organizationally, she has backing from Run for Something, Elect Black Women, the Michigan Democratic Party's Progressive and Black caucuses and the Michigan Working Families Party, among many others. McMorrow said in her endorsement that Treppa is “unafraid to lean in and bring her entire self into this work, isn’t afraid to be vulnerable, and also sees everybody for who they are and all the potential that they have.”
On the campaign trail, she has heard consistent concerns across communities: safety, affordability, access to mental healthcare and trustworthy leadership. Her approach to mental health reflects her own experience — she's a recovering alcoholic and argues that funding mental health services requires layering support across nonprofits, county programs and state programs working in tandem rather than in isolation.
"This affects your entire nervous system," she said. "Everything is a domino effect and the more adversity keeps stacking up inside of you, that's how you start breaking down and that's how we end up with people in crisis."
She supports single-payer healthcare long term but is also willing to fight for concrete wins at the state level now. "We have to work smarter and strategically," she said. "There are things we can fix right now — like forcing insurance companies to keep therapists in-network instead of dropping them after you start seeing someone,” she said. "You can't be afraid of going to bat with insurance companies."
On the campaign trail, she's found constituents are tired of politicians who disappear after election day. "They're asking a lot about who you are as a person," she said. “‘I don't trust anyone,’ they tell me. This is the first time I've really seen it where people are really honing in on who the person is." What voters want to know, she said, is exactly how a politician will vote when controversial legislation lands on their desk — not promises, but proof through consistent action.
If elected, she said, she won't entertain anti-trans legislation. "If a Republican colleague ever comes to my desk with an anti-trans bill, I'm literally going to look at them and say, 'Get the hell out of here,'" she said. "I don't understand how people's humanity and human rights could be divisive to anyone. I just don't get it."
District 10 voters head to the polls for the Democratic primary on Aug. 4. Treppa faces Rep. Natalie Price and Mark Murphy Jr. in the primary; the winner will face Republican Michelle Nard in the general election.
Read More
Democrats Are Trying to Disqualify Trans Candidates. Here's How.
This article was originally published by Uncloseted Media.Editor's note: Uncloseted Media is one of a growing number of independent, queer-led newsrooms [...]Read more about Democrats Are Trying to Disqualify Trans Candidates. Here's How.
Michigan Supreme Court Clarifies Entrapment Standard After Stings Targeted LGBTQ+ Men
The Michigan Supreme Court has issued its opinion in People v. Jade, a ruling that reshapes how courts across the state must evaluate entrapment claims arising [...]Read more about Michigan Supreme Court Clarifies Entrapment Standard After Stings Targeted LGBTQ+ Men
17 Years After ‘American Idol,’ Adam Lambert Is Still Reinventing Himself
At this point, performing on a national stage is second nature to Adam Lambert, who shot to fame 17 years ago during the eighth season of “American Idol” in May [...]Read more about 17 Years After ‘American Idol,’ Adam Lambert Is Still Reinventing Himself
Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Primary as LGBTQ+ Candidates Make Historic Gains
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's closely watched U.S. Senate Democratic primary Tuesday with 49% of the vote, narrowly edging out moderate U.S. Rep. Haley [...]Read more about Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Primary as LGBTQ+ Candidates Make Historic Gains
These Michigan Auto Enthusiasts Love Their Cars. They Just Happen to Be Trans Women.
The prevalence of transgender women among car enthusiasts is hard to gauge. But if the two who sat down with Pride Source are any indication, it's time to [...]Read more about These Michigan Auto Enthusiasts Love Their Cars. They Just Happen to Be Trans Women.
Expanded Blood Donation Rules Go into Effect
Starting Aug. 7, blood donation centers will implement new donor eligibility requirements that will open blood donation to individuals who were previously [...]Read more about Expanded Blood Donation Rules Go into Effect
