Filling Rep. Slotkins Shoes: Curtis Hertel on His Plan to ‘Fight Back Against Extreme Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation’ in District 7
How the Democratic U.S. House candidate has been backing the LGBTQ+ community before it was the norm
The presidential election has rightfully garnered the attention of many Americans, as former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris lay out two vastly contrasted visions for the future of America.
Sitting slightly lower on Michigan ballots is a decision that has the potential to be just as impactful.
“[The 7th] district is one of the districts that will decide congress, not just for Republicans and Democrats, but for whether we have reasonable humans in congress — and that’s what I’m focused on,” Curtis Hertel, former State Senator and democratic candidate for the U.S. House, told Pride Source.
Michigan's 7th Congressional District, comprising Lansing and other key parts of central and southern Michigan, was formerly held by Rep. Elissa Slotkin. The seat is now up for grabs as the congresswomen sets her eyes on the U.S. Senate. Hertel and former State Sen. Tom Barrett will be the names on the ticket come November.
In an era hyper focused on LGBTQ+ politicization, the makeup of Congress has had, and will continue to have, a lasting impact on the lives of LGBTQ+ Americans. Jason Morgan, openly gay state representative and vice chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, weighed in on what the decisions would truly mean for the LGBTQ+ community.
“I’m excited about Curtis Hertel representing this district in congress because he will continue to fight back against extreme anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and he will work to expand LGBTQ+ protections for Michiganders,” Morgan told Pride Source. “He’s going to always have our back when extreme politicians in Washington are trying to harm our community.”
Hertel has a history of fighting for the LGBTQ+ community, even before it was the norm for the Democrats. From consistently co-sponsoring additions to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act — formally codifying LGBTQ+ protections against discrimination in Michigan — and helping to build up the majority in the state senate to get it passed, to his work in gay marriage as Register of Deeds, he has made his intentions clear.
“My entire career I have been pro equal rights,” Hertel asserted. “When I was a county commissioner, I was pro-marriage equality well before that was a position that all Democrats held — that’s 20-some years ago.”
“When I was Register of Deeds, I had the first marriage licenses filed in the Register of Deeds offices from other states to make sure we protected property records,” he added. “It’s been a core issue of mine — I care about fighting for rights, and I would continue the fight that has been my entire career in congress.”
Even though Hertel was no longer a State Senator, he made sure he was on the floor at the time of the Elliott-Larsen bill passing. “I was so proud to be on the floor when my friend Jeremy Moss presided over the body and that was passed,” he said. “It's something that I spent my entire career working towards. I would’ve given a kidney to make that vote.”
His opponent, Tom Barrett, has a different approach to handling LGBTQ+ issues.
Barrett opposed expanding the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include protections for LGBTQ+ Michiganders and has previously voted for and co-sponsored bills to allow discrimination against LGBTQ+ Michiganders trying to get married or adopt children.
Morgan noted how Barrett has used the identities of LGBTQ+ individuals in the past as a political bargaining tool.
“Just last campaign when he [Barrett] ran for the same seat, he sent texts to voters regarding gender-reassignment surgery in an attempt to raise money for his campaign,” Morgan explained. “I think you would see more of that type of behavior if he were to win. You would see him working to roll back our life and protections here in the state. I think we’d see some pretty unfortunate consequences of him serving in that role.”
In his time in office, Barrett has notoriously held a strict anti-abortion stance. Hertel says Barrett’s policies don’t align with the desires of district 7 voters.
“He [Barrett] was never about working across the aisle, in fact, he has an extreme record on women’s rights,” Hertel explained. “He sponsored legislation that would put doctors and women in jail. He believes that life begins at conception, so we’re talking about IVF and birth control at risk. He is someone who I think is out of step with the [7th] district.”
If Hertel were to be elected, he said that he has plans to further support the LGBTQ+ community. “I’m proud that congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act, and I would fight to pass the Equality Act to codify protections for LGBTQ+ people on a number of fronts addressing housing, education and employment discrimination,” he said. “I'm proud to be endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign — that's something that is meaningful to me.”
Morgan encouraged impassioned voters to join in the campaign process ahead of the election in November. “They can knock doors, make phone calls, donate whatever amount of money they’re able to donate — there is a whole lot of work to be done to make sure that folks know the stakes of the election and that they understand that their vote really does count,” he said.
He added that, in November, voters will be faced with the rare occasion where he believes the choice is perfectly clear.
“There's rarely such a stark contrast between two candidates in a race as there is between Senator Hertel and Senator Barrett,” Morgan said. “Senator Hertel has worked across the aisle, he has a long history of working for the people of Michigan, and he’s going to represent the distinct really well.”
“Senator Barrett has only proven himself as extreme and divisive,” Morgan added. “I hope that folks see that and that they make the right choice.”