Coalition forms to educate on same-sex marriage

DETROIT – On September 16 over 30 leaders of the LGBT community gathered to discuss the anti-gay backlash surrounding the marriage issue. Leaders attended from across the state, in person and via teleconferencing, bringing their concerns to the table.
Most attending knew something about the backlash that has been escalating steadily, from the Oakland and Jackson County resolutions supporting bans on same-sex marriage, to Traverse City's group called Fag Free T C.
Attendees included representatives from many of the state's leading organizations, people that have been involved in successful efforts fighting anti-gay battles in the past, including legal, political and community organizing advocates. The amount of experience and skill in the room was tremendous and inspiring. Commitment ran high, with all concerned about what is happening in Michigan.
The strongest message to come out of the meeting was the need to pull together to defeat this backlash. The consensus was that never before has the community faced such an organized state-wide effort against LGBTs and everyone will have to work in tandem in order to be successful in turning the backlash around.
The successful track record of the past was reassuring. In the early
1990's, Michigan Coalition for Human Dignity successfully beat back a petition drive that was trying to put a state wide anti-gay ballot petition to the voters.
The bad news is that the opposition is better funded and organized than in the past.
With the recent successes at the ballot box, MCHD's track record and the leading organizations and community leaders coming on board, it appears some strong building blocks are in place. As this effort grows watch Between The Lines for information on how to get involved.
For further information regarding this meeting: Call Jay Kaplan at
313-833-6438 or Beth Bashert at 734-678- 2746.