Leading Michigan LGBTQ+ and Ally Officials React to Kamala Harris' Presidential Run
Secretary Buttigieg, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Sen. Jeremy Moss show support for Harris
On Sunday, President Joe Biden released a letter to the American people detailing his decision to step aside and no longer seek reelection. Moments later, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place, and the cogs in the political machine have been spinning rapidly since.
Harris has long maintained a supportive stance toward the LGBTQ+ community — some voters might recall the rainbow denim jacket she’s donned while advocating for equal rights at Pride events.
Leading Michigan allies and queer voices have been chiming in on the change to the top of the ticket.
While there was talk of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer running herself, she has fully endorsed Harris. “Vice President Harris has my full support,” Whitmer posted on X. “So Michigan, let’s get to work. We cannot let Donald Trump anywhere near the White House.”
Whitmer followed up the post later in the day, telling reporters in Lansing, “I’m not leaving Michigan. I'm proud to be the governor of Michigan. I've been consistent. I know everyone is always suspicious and asking this question over and over again. I know you're doing your job — I'm not going anywhere."
U.S. Secretary of Transportation and openly gay Michigan resident Pete Buttigieg also shared his thoughts on X. “Kamala Harris is now the right person to take up the torch, defeat Donald Trump, and succeed Joe Biden as President,” Buttigieg wrote. “I have seen her extraordinary leadership firsthand, working closely with her during the 2020 campaign and then in the historically effective Biden-Harris administration. I will do all that I can to help her win this election to lead America forward as our next President.”
Joining Buttigieg’s remarks on X, Michigan’s Attorney General and out lesbian Dana Nessel posted her own show of support. “Kamala Harris will make an outstanding President of the United States, and I enthusiastically support her candidacy,” Nessel posted. “Let’s get it done, America!”
Meanwhile, out Michigan Sen. Jeremy Moss posted, "Let’s get to work and deliver Michigan for the next President of the United States, @KamalaHarris!" alongside a selfie with the vice president.
Rev. Dr. Roland Stringfellow is board president of Inclusive Justice of Michigan, a Michigan faith collective based around LGBTQ+ inclusion, and resource coordinator for MiGen, Michigan’s LGBTQ+ elder support network. He said that the change not only reinvigorated him but left him feeling more respect toward Biden. "I was always 'ho hum' about Joe Biden as a President until Sunday afternoon," Stringfellow said. "His decision to drop out of the race after it was apparent he did not have a clear path to victory is admirable and shows great leadership. I deeply admire him as someone who has done his part in saving American democracy."
"I am now absolutely thrilled about the candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris," he added. "At this moment, she is the most qualified person to lead our country and I believe she is what our nation needs to counteract the leanings toward a national abortion ban and the implementation of Project 2025. I am now energized about the race for the White House!"
Across social media, queer youth have quickly started to rally behind Harris with sighs of relief and videos of Harris set to Chappell Roan’s girl-power anthem “Femininomenon."
The Harris Campaign created their own edit in response to the growing trend.
On the advocacy front, several prominent groups have rallied behind Harris. speaking on behalf of the organization, Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson thanked President Biden and fully endorsed Harris in this statement:
“We are deeply grateful to President Biden for his more than 50 years of public service and his longtime support for the LGBTQ+ community,” Robinson said. “...The Human Rights Campaign could not be prouder to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris and commit to channeling our resources and supporters to work to elect the first Black and South Asian woman president of the United States.”
In addition to advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, before Biden made his announcement, Harris had been spending much of her time on the campaign trail recently to discuss reproductive rights.
Earlier this month, at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans, Harris discussed her motivations behind her staunch support of bodily autonomy. “So, many of you know I was a prosecutor, you may not know one of the reasons why,” Harris said. “When I was in high school, I learned that my best friend was being molested by her stepfather. When I learned, I said, ‘You have to come live with us.’ I called up my mother and she said, ‘Of course she does.' And she lived with us. So I decided at a young age that I wanted to take on what I could do to protect women and children against violence.”
And while the path forward may remain unclear, much like Biden reminded Americans in the final remarks of his letter, the only way to ensure safety from the rhetoric and plans of Trump is to move forward together.
“I believe today what I always have: There is nothing America can’t do — when we do it together,” Biden wrote. “We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”
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