LGBTQ+ Advocacy in the 2024 Election: A Conversation with Governor Whitmer

The Michigan governor knows we have an ally in the Harris-Walz campaign

Whitmer3 — Gov. Whitmer at the Harris-Walz rally in Detroit in August. Photo: Andrew Potter

Published: September 26, 2024 | Last Updated: October 4, 2024

Since becoming the governor of Michigan in 2019, Gretchen Whitmer has been a fierce ally for the LGBTQ+ community — not just through her words, but through lawful action. “That woman from Michigan,” originally used as an insult from presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2020, was turned on its head by Whitmer, becoming a defining and enduring part of her stalwart identity.

Even nationally, the moniker has stuck. By owning it, Whitmer has flipped the derisive comment on its head, using it as a driving force in her rise as a prominent voice for equality as it pertains to both identity and gender. During a recent appearance on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live,” Gov. Whitmer took that phrase one step further when host Andy Cohen asked her what her “Real Housewife” tagline would be: “Some people call me that woman from Michigan. I call it getting shit done!”

Basically, given her national exposure, it’s no surprise Whitmer has a book out about, well, how she got shit done, even in the face of opposition, including from Trump. Its title, “True Gretch,” embodies her self-professed “joyful warrior” spirit. She is Michigan’s governor, sure, but Gov. Whitmer is also a national luminary who represents not only the kind of leader Michigan needs, but the kind of advocate the LGBTQ+ community deserves. In an era where representation matters more than ever everywhere, especially in government, her voice has clearly resonated beyond Michigan, inspiring a new generation of leaders ready to tackle the issues that matter most.

It’s why Whitmer, a co-chair for the Harris-Walz campaign, has been making the rounds with various press interviews and public appearances, including the recent “Unite for America Rally” in Farmington Hills where Oprah interviewed presidential candidate Kamala Harris. With Nov. 5 right around the corner, Whitmer recently shared with Pride Source that, like many of us, she’s on edge about the outcome of this upcoming election. “I'm feeling the same way,” she says, “that's why I'm working my tail off.”

During our wide-ranging interview, Gov. Whitmer discussed the pivotal role of the upcoming election and the urgent need for every voice to be heard, how she believes the Harris-Walz administration will support LGBTQ+ people and the critical need to safeguard the hard-won rights that many Michiganders hold dear.

Before we really get into the election, let's start by talking about our shared anxiety and how we're handling it. I know you like a beer, but what’s your election elixir? What magical ingredients are you putting into your glass?

I'm drinking a lot of water, to be honest. I'm trying to make sure that I'm maximizing every waking minute, and you can't sleep on Michigan for a second. This is going to be a close race. And with three third-party candidates on [the ballot] and such high stakes, it's just going to be really important that we remind people that every vote counts. When Hillary Clinton lost to Trump in ’16, it was two votes per precinct. So every vote makes a difference.

I want to acknowledge the work that you've done for the LGBTQ+ community in Michigan. It has been life-saving for so many. How do you believe that the Harris-Walz campaign aligns with your administration's efforts over the last few years to support the LGBTQ+ community here in Michigan?

Well, Kamala Harris has a long history of being a great ally of the LGBTQ+ community. Whether it is combating hate crimes or fighting for equity and equality, she's got the receipts. And so, I'm really proud to be supporting her and playing a role in her campaign, and I know that we are capable of doing so much more together with an ally like her in the White House.

Is there something in particular that you could point to as an example in which you felt like Harris herself really showed allegiance to the LGBTQ+ community?

Well, as a prosecutor and DA and Attorney General of San Francisco, she started her career fighting to protect this community. Whether it's marriage or fighting hate crimes or creating equal rights under the law, Kamala Harris has been on the front line her whole career. And she doesn't waffle, she doesn't change, she doesn't put her finger to the wind to figure out which way political winds are blowing. She does what she knows the right thing is to do and that means standing by and fighting for the LGBTQ+ community.

As a recent example, she denounced the “Don't Say Gay” laws in Florida.

Good point.

Whitmer1 — Gov. Whitmer at the Harris-Walz rally in Detroit in August. Photo: Andrew Potter

I can’t help but consider all the LGBTQ+ protections you’ve supported in Michigan, and what could happen to them if, heaven forbid, Harris doesn’t win. What steps can you take to ensure those protections remain secure?

Well, I'm proud of what we were able to accomplish with a new Democratic majority with regard to Elliott-Larsen and banning conversion therapy. I know that with the Dobbs decision, the Trump appointees have already signaled that they are open to disenfranchising and rolling back rights that we've gained in the last two decades, and that's why we can't afford to have four years of Donald Trump. It's already had devastating consequences, and it could be just the beginning if he has another four-year term.

If he secures another four-year term, does that put something like the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act at risk?

Well, they can't undo what we've done in Michigan, but a Supreme Court can undermine that, yes. A federal law could absolutely supersede what we've done. And that's why whether it is LGBTQ+ rights or women's reproductive rights or simply any other right, like to marry who you love, to make sure that you can access healthcare or contraception, all of these things fall under that same right of privacy, and so they all continue to be in jeopardy. None of this is done, sadly.

A new HRC survey reports that Harris is leading Trump by nearly 67 points among LGBTQ+ voters: 74% of LGBTQ+ voters plan to vote for Harris versus nearly 8% for Trump. I am still shocked that there is a portion of our community who is voting for Trump. What would you say to LGBTQ+ voters who are either uncommitted or are considering voting for Trump?

I'd say look at these two candidates and think about not just your life today, but future generations of LGBTQ+ Americans who simply want to be recognized, protected and respected under the law. Not everyone has the same advantages that some have, and that's why it's important that we sit together. It's important that we think beyond our own individual lives and think about what disintegrating rights mean for anyone who identifies as a member of the community or an ally of the community.

Do those poll numbers surprise you?

Yes, because this is a really stark choice between someone who has denigrated people in the community, someone who has spewed hateful rhetoric to divide us, someone who has only ever made decisions that benefit himself as opposed to a leader who has been showing up for the community her whole career, a leader who cares about the next generation and understands the lives that we live, who has worked an hourly job and taken care of a sick parent, a leader who knows how to get things done and sees us and understands us because she's lived lives like ours.

When I saw you and Gov. Tim Walz share the stage at the Harris-Walz rally in August, you seemed to have a special bond.

Yeah. I find them both to be the real deal. They're genuine people and really care about others and have dedicated their lives to serving others. They find joy in the work even on the hardest days, and I think recognize that where you and I have been given an opportunity, it comes with a responsibility to use that opportunity to help others, and I love them both to death. And I've gotten to know Tim very, very well these last few years since we've been governors together. We came in together, and he's the real deal too.

When it comes to Walz, can you speak to your shared commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ individuals and what has impressed you about his work for the LGBTQ+ community in Minnesota?

I think one of the great things about Tim is he calls it the way he sees it, and I like to think that we're very similar in that regard. When you've got all these efforts to scare people and sow hate and ban books — LGBTQ+ books — he was willing to use his platform to say, "A bigger threat to our kids is gun violence, not what books are in their libraries."

Just being very pragmatic and blunt about the seriousness of these efforts to turn us against one another and using his platform to take it on to make space for others and to do the right thing. Whether it's because he's a former National Guardsman or he worked in our schools or he's a governor, he's always used his platform to be a great ally and to take action to protect the community and to support the community.

As states across the country have turned back the clock on LGBTQ+ issues and rights over the last several years, Michigan has become a safe haven. So has Minnesota. Do you think Tim could do the same for LGBTQ+ people in America?

I absolutely believe that a Harris-Walz administration will be looking at all things through the lens of “How do we create opportunity and how do we protect every American?,” but especially Americans who have dealt with that uniquely hostile history and environment in this country.

And so, obviously, I'm thinking about the LGBTQ+ community, as well as other communities. And one of the things that I'm really proud of, that I also think is kind of funny as we've been competing with Minnesota as we've enacted lots of similar policies, whether it's feeding every child in our schools, or it is full civil rights protections for every person, or it is creating opportunity and leveling financial or historic barriers for people, I know Tim will take those values into the federal government and be a great partner to Kamala Harris as well.

There have been two recent acts of hate speech by state officials on LGBTQ+ officials in Michigan. One occurred on Aug. 22, after the Democratic National Convention, when former co-chair of the Michigan GOP Meshawn Maddock took to X and captioned a photo of Michigan DNC attendees, including Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter and Rep. Jason Morgan, by writing “Fags and Hags.” Then, in late August, Oakland County Probate Court Judge Kathleen Ryan attacked Coulter with hateful anti-gay slurs and names in a recording that surfaced. What is your reaction to these recent derogatory comments directed toward members of the LGBTQ+ community?

It's disgusting and it's unacceptable, and it is horrific to think that someone in a position of power who delivers justice from the bench could say things that are so offensive and denigrate Michiganders. To see it coming from someone who has a high office in the GOP is equally horrific, which is why anyone who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community who doesn't identify as a Democrat, I invite you to join us. You got a seat at our table.

Morgan acknowledged his concern for LGBTQ+ youth who feel the impact of queerphobia in these comments. What message would you share with LGBTQ+ youth in the community who might be affected by this kind of hate speech?

Well, number one, you are loved, you are seen, and you're respected. And number two, make your voices heard in this election. This is going to have huge consequences, and young people in our society are going to live with the consequences of this election longer than anyone else, and that's why we've got to pull people into this moment. And so, it's not just you yourself voting, but it's getting your friends, your relatives, your co-workers, your fellow students out to vote as well.

As the Nov. 5 election day nears, how do you think LGBTQ+ allies and advocates can further support the Harris-Walz campaign right now?

Sign up to work on the campaign, make phone calls, get people registered to vote, help us make sure that everyone who is registered that is going to support the LGBTQ+ community gets out and actually gets their vote in. There are lots of ways to participate through the Michigan ONE Campaign and encourage people to sign up and to, as Michelle Obama said at the DNC, “Do something.” Every single day, do something. We don't want to wake up the day after this next election and wish we had done more and watch our rights and our loved ones pay a price because we could have done more and we didn't.

Whitmer2 — Gov. Whitmer at the Harris-Walz rally in Detroit in August. Photo: Andrew Potter

As you look ahead to the rest of your term as governor, what is your long-term vision for LGBTQ+ rights in our state?

I love being governor, and I am going to work my tail off every day until my last minute as governor so that I can assure that we have achieved everything we can and that whomever comes next doesn't undermine the strides that we've made. I'll continue to work very closely with [openly gay Sen.] Jeremy Moss and [openly gay State Rep.] Jason Hoskins and the legislative leaders on making sure that where there is additional work to do, that we are doing it, that we are getting the bills to my desk, and that we are a state that the LGBTQ+ community can point to across the country as a state that's doing more, that's doing it right, and that is drawing people into our state because of our work here.

To end on a more lighthearted note, when I got my copy of your book, it came from the publisher in a sparkly fuchsia mailer. Am I right to think that was by request of the Governor?

Yeah. Of course. [Laughs.]

The Harris-Walz campaign seems to be closely following your lead in engaging young voters. I received an email from them shortly after Trump posted his "I Hate Taylor Swift" message, which cleverly mentioned several of her songs. It reminded me of your campaign's creative strategies. Are they drawing inspiration from your approach? Are you advising them in any way?

I know that Julia Pickett and my team have gotten awards for the work that we've done on social media. I know that people pay attention across the country as to what we're doing, and I think we've got one of the best teams there is, to be honest. I think we combine what's going on in real time with important things, like the budget. And when you have Barbie talking about fixing the damn roads, it's a sweet spot where you're telling people about the work you're doing, but you're doing it in a fun way. And I love seeing the Harris-Walz campaign doing that too. The coconut tree stuff a couple of weeks ago and brat summer, it's just been fun. And I think it’s that spirit that attracts so many people and why we're feeling optimistic, but we're also very clear there's a lot of hard work to do between now and election day.

That's right. Well, let's go have a brat fall, and let's go win this thing.

Let's do it.