By Tara Cavanaugh
The petite Debbie Dingell, wife of U.S. Rep John Dingell, may have been one of the smaller-sized speakers at the LGBT Democratic Caucus last weekend – but she certainly was one of the loudest.
"As community members, each and every one of us has to say, we want a community where everybody belongs. That we celebrate diversity, but we're a community that blends together and protects every person.
"And bullying's not OK! Lack of civil language is not OK! Threatening people is not OK!" she shouted forcefully from the podium.
"We are a community that's going to fight for civility and strength of community, which is the strength of democracy," Dingell concluded.
Dingell was just one of many leaders who convened at the LGBT Democratic Caucus on Feb. 19 at the Ypsilanti District Library to bring energy and alarm to the issue of bullying.
One theme of the morning among the speakers was how to get Matt's Law passed – specifically the enumerated version of the bill, one with "teeth," said Caucus Chair Phil Volker.
"Some people see us as enemies on this. I see them as people that just don't understand. We've got to work with everybody, even Republicans – though that's hard for me to say," Volker said, causing the room to erupt in laughter.
Matt's Law is an anti-bullying law that was introduced into the state House in 2002. Two versions of the bill have been introduced – one enumerated, specifically protecting LGBT students, the other not enumerated, but neither has passed.
Emily Divendorf, director of policy at Equality Michigan and a lobbyist, has been pushing for Matt's Law to get passed. "We could maybe move away from the word 'tolerance,'" she said. "We are the ones who will set the tone in this conversation. Our students don't need to be tolerated. They need to be accepted."
Divendorf mentioned the heartwarming but disappointing message of the popular online "It Gets Better" campaign: "It tells these kids to hold on through high school," she said. "It's not enough to tell them to hold on."
Lydia Bond, a member of Riot Youth, a group for LGBTQ students and their allies based out of the Neutral Zone in Ann Arbor, is one student who is "holding on" through high school. She explained to caucus attendees that her sexuality has made her a pariah at her Ann Arbor school.
She's become "confrontational" with other students. "If they call me a dyke, I say 'F you.' If they push me, I push back. I know that's not the right thing to do. But I feel like I don't have any support."
Bond described how she and a friend talked to teachers and teaching assistants at her school about being mistreated by other students, but no one knew how to help. She worked her way up to the principal and the school's police officer as a last resort.
"Both the principal and officer told us they didn't believe (our problem) was that bad," she said, expressing frustration that even at a high school in a generally liberal community like Ann Arbor, no one wanted to help her. "We need a lot of support from our communities. Every community needs to come together and support their students," she said.
Many of the caucus speakers said if legislators don't understand that LGBT students need protection, then the community needs to get organized and make that message clear.
"We are starting with so many people in (state) leadership positions who know nothing about this issue," Divendorf said. "We should be doing everything we can to talk to our legislators."
Sen. Glenn Anderson, D-Westland, agreed. "So many times when we're looking at a bill or a piece of legislation, we don't have a face or a name to associate with that bill," he said. He urged students and citizens to keep telling their representatives that LGBT students need to be protected.
Caucus Chair Volker outlined steps for citizens to take, including establishing a "kitchen forum" with concerned friends, getting active together in their counties and attending the Freedom March for Tolerance, which is tentatively scheduled for April 9 in Howell.
Chris Armstrong, co-chair of the event and openly gay University of Michigan student body president, spoke about the importance of establishing a supportive community for LGBT students.
He recalled being on Anderson Cooper's TV show last October. Cooper asked Armstrong if it seemed difficult to move on and plan for life post-graduation, after he was publicly stalked and harassed by Michigan's former Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell, who was eventually fired.
"I had to tell him no," Armstrong said. "Because I realized that I belong to a community that constantly told me, no matter who you are, you are an amazing person and you can be successful."
Armstrong said realizing the school supported him when he was being harassed by Shirvell was a humbling experience. "Because I knew that was Michigan values, the values of our community," he said. "And I think as we go forward and work on this issue, that this is about maintaining the values in each one of our communities that will really welcome every single person. That no matter who you are, you're a member of us. And you belong to us."
