By Dawn Wolfe Gutterman
SOUTHFIELD – During an appearance that felt as much like a religious revival as a political event, anti-gay Detroit pastor Keith Butler announced that he will run as a Republican for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow in 2006. Butler made his announcement before a packed house of mostly black, middle-aged and older followers April 12.
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who recently rendered an anti-family opinion on the ability of Michigan cities to offer domestic partnership benefits, introduced Butler.
Cox called Butler, "a man of principle and a man of action."
"Every candidate running for office wants to claim that they're going to make a difference," Cox said, "but how many have really already made a difference in people's lives?" Cox failed to mention the "difference" that Butler has made in the lives of LGBT families by his outspoken support of Proposal 2, which denied Michigan same-sex couples the right to civil marriage or civil unions and is now threatening domestic partner benefits.
"Keith Butler is my kind of Republican," said Cox, who has also issued an opinion against allowing second-parent adoption in Michigan, thus endangering children being raised in same-sex households.
Saying that running for Senate "is not an opportunity" but "a responsibility," Butler seemed clear that his primary "responsibility" would be to giving religion greater primacy in the public sphere, protecting "traditional" marriage against the LGBT civil rights movement, and upholding other conservative Republican projects ranging from drilling in Alaska's wildlife refuge to cutting taxes and increasing the defense budget.
Echoing the dismay of an earlier generation of conservatives when courts ruled against laws banning interracial marriage, Butler condemned the "few unelected men and women from Massachusetts" who have recognized gays' and lesbians' right to marry, and asked, "How is it that the will of the people, the will of nature, the will of God and centuries of tradition can so easily be dismissed by a handful of liberal thinkers?"
Ignoring the fact that at least some, if not many, of the senior citizens in his audience may rely on government programs, Butler claimed that "For every dollar the government takes from us, there is one less dollar into the economy." And while he stopped short of an outright endorsement of George W. Bush's plan to privatize Social Security, Butler did call Democrats who oppose the plan "dishonest, and above all, cowardly."
While Cox called Butler "a man of principles," at least one leader of Detroit's LGBT community claimed those principles "false."
"If he really is going to run for Senate, he's not going to represent me," said Johnnie Jenkins, president of Detroit Black Gay Pride. "I have no allegiance with that man. He's not a friend of any social justice cause that I'm aware of."
"If I need to work on Stabenow's campaign to keep him out, I will do so," he added.
Jenkins had harsh words for Butler's use of anti-gay sentiment to rally social conservatives to his campaign.
"Making us an issue makes them more high profile, and that's a lack of courage to me," Jenkins said. "Getting ahead by stepping on the disenfranchised is false principles."
Karibu House founder and president Kofi Adoma was "astounded" by the announcement.
"I don't think that Reverend Butler understands what equality and justice are supposed to be about, given his comments and statements against same-gender marriage," said Adoma. "How dare he think he's going to get people to vote for him after he's taken the side of the Republicans!"
Triangle Foundation Director of Policy Sean Kosofsky dismissed the candidacy.
"Keith Butler has been a lightning rod for controversy and turning his back on minorities by supporting anti-gay and other conservative policies," Kosofsky said. "He is out of touch with Michigan voters, and the voters will respond accordingly."
Senator Debbie Stabenow did not comment directly on Butler's announcement. In a statement from her office, Stabenow said, "I am very focused on getting the job done for the people of Michigan. We have important work ahead of us on critical issues – creating good paying jobs, stopping Canadian trash, preserving Social Security, and lowering drug prices by allowing the safe re-importation of prescription drugs. I look forward to continuing to lead the fight on these important issues."
A call to NAACP Executive Director Hester Wheeler was not returned by press time.
