Trevis Harrold, Running for Michigan State House of Representatives, District 55
2024 Election Pride Source Candidate Survey Response
The 2024 Pride Source Media Voters Guide Candidate Survey sought the responses from Michigan candidates running for office in the Nov. 5 election. We asked candidates to respond to key issues impacting the Michigan LGBTQ+ community and about their visions for the future. Visit vote411.org to learn more about the candidates and issues on your ballot.
Candidate: Trevis Harrold
Running for Michigan State House of Representatives, District 55
Incumbent? No
Campaign Contact Info
(248) 805-1774
harroldformichigan.com
Twitter/X: trevisharrold
Candidate background
Education:
University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business, Master of Business Administration - MBA
University of Michigan - Master of Public Policy (MPP), Business and Government Policy Analysis
Eastern Michigan University - Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Economics and Political Science (Double Major) International Business (Minor), Honors College
Professional experience:
I worked as a global public policy leader at the Dow Chemical Company in their government affairs division. Additionally, I served as a foreign service officer specializing in political topics for the U.S. Department of State. I worked on the Coronavirus Task Force within the Department of State in Washington, DC, coordinating with Congress on the repatriation of Americans overseas during the pandemic’s peak. I have held diplomatic assignments at the U.S. Embassy Kingston, the U.S. Embassy Pristina, the U.S. Embassy Mexico City, and the Office of Bilateral Trade. Outside the Department of State, I worked at the Michigan House of Representatives, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate.
In the private sector, I was a government affairs specialist for the Dow Chemical Company (1st stint). I also completed a government affairs fellowship at DTE Energy. In addition to my MPP at the Ford School, I have a B.A. in political science, economics, and international business from Eastern Michigan University. I currently serve my country as a Military Intelligence Officer with the U.S. Army Reserve.
What is your affiliation with the LGBTQ+ community?
I am a staunch ally of the LGBTQ+ community. I believe in equality, inclusion, and the fundamental rights of every individual to live and love freely without fear of discrimination or prejudice. My commitment to helping the LGBTQ+ community includes supporting mental health and social services, and working towards policies that ensure safety and equality for all LGBTQ+ individuals. I was proud to live in a state that expanded its Civil Rights Act to include protections for our LGBTQ+ community. I am dedicated to ensuring our state is a place where diversity is celebrated, and everyone is treated fairly regardless of background.
Tell us about your top priorities and how you plan to achieve those goals.
My top priorities include:
Protecting Women’s Rights and Affordable Healthcare - I am committed to safeguarding and advancing women’s rights. This includes ensuring all women have access to comprehensive reproductive health, regardless of their economic status. I will also work to improve local access to family planning services and educational resources and fight any attempts that threaten these fundamental rights.
All Americans should have access to healthcare they can afford, regardless of pre-existing conditions. No one should ever go broke because they happen to get sick, and no family should have to decide whether they can afford to save the life of a loved one.
We can build a healthier, more equitable community by ensuring these rights are protected and that every Michigander has access to affordable/accessible healthcare.
Growing Economic Opportunity In Michigan - Growing economic opportunity begins by investing in talent in our communities and the future. We must train the next generation to take on roles in Michigan’s 21st-century economy by connecting our workforce to the training that will prepare them for the trades, green infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, technical, and cyber jobs of the future.
Michigan has always been a place where things are designed and built. Our state has an amazing history of innovation, from the creation of the modern automobile to the invention of penicillin. But the economy is evolving in our state, and we need to face forward and change with it. For our communities to thrive, we must be serious and strategic about growing economic opportunity and combating inflation here in Michigan. That starts with investing in education, connecting our talented young people with opportunities in our businesses, and ensuring that our entrepreneurs and small business owners can grow by hiring talent directly from our communities. This is how we continue to retain and recruit talent to Michigan.
I will advocate for laws that protect the right to organize, ensuring that unions can effectively represent and fight for workers’ rights. I will fight for a living wage and equal pay for equal work, ensuring that every worker in our community can support themselves and their families.
Passing Common Sense Gun Safety Legislation - I believe in and support the Second Amendment. I believe that individuals across our district, state, and country who operate guns with care and safety should be allowed to exercise the right to do so. As an Army officer, I am trained on an M4 semi-automatic weapon.
I also believe we must be honest that gun violence presents a severe public safety and public health issue. And it is precisely because of my experience both operating firearms and working in national security that I believe we must pass common-sense gun safety legislation. We must prohibit terrorists, the mentally ill, and domestic abusers from obtaining guns. As an Army servicemember, I do not believe ordinary citizens should be able to easily obtain weapons or materials that allow them to outgun their local police or the military.
Mass shootings and gun violence are a threat to the security of our families, our communities, and our schools. No parent should fear their child’s safety after dropping them off for class. Failing to do all we can to protect our children is a failure to put the public first – and, in my view, a neglect of duty to address one of the nation’s pressing security issues.
Why are you the best candidate for this position?
Whether it was volunteering in the community with my mom, working with the U.S. State Department at our embassies in Jamaica, Kosovo and Mexico, or serving in the United States Army Reserve as an Army officer, I have always felt a strong calling to public service. The people of Rochester, Rochester Hills, and Oakland Township deserve a representative who will put their needs first – who values country over party, and service over partisan bickering. My background in government, in the military, and in the private sector prepare me well to fight for the real issues Michiganders care about, like an economy that works for everyone, common sense gun safety legislation, and the right to our own bodies.
Towns like Rochester thrive when good people step up to do what’s best for the community. That’s what public service is all about. My commitment is to work every day to keep our community safe, strong, and exceptional.
How do you plan to represent and advocate for the needs of LGBTQ+ community members?
I plan to represent and advocate for the needs of LGBTQ+ community members by first being an active participant in community events and by actually listening to the needs of the community rather than simply assuming what the community wants. My office will always be open to the LGBTQ+ community and those connected with Pride Source.
I plan on also strongly promoting the need for inclusivity in Michigan and in my district, and always being a staunch ally of this community. This includes advocating for more protections for the LGBTQ+ community and pushing back against hate crimes in order to ensure equality and end discrimination in both the public and private spheres.
State your position on transgender rights and how your office would work to protect this vulnerable population — particularly Black trans women, who are overrepresented in stats related to violence, the judicial system, homelessness, substance abuse and other serious issues.
I support transgender rights, as protecting our transgender community is essential to ensuring equity and diversity in my district and the entirety of Michigan. When protecting black trans women particularly, my commitment to safeguarding and advancing women’s rights - especially when it comes to healthcare - will go a long way. This includes ensuring all women, including trans women, have access to comprehensive health care that they can afford, regardless of their economic status. I will also closely examine our social services and safety nets to protect against transgender discrimination, working to reduce homelessness and substance abuse in the trans community.
I also believe that investing in education is crucial to helping our transgender population, as many transgender individuals are put at a disadvantage at a young age and are never given the proper resources in school to succeed later in life. This means I will fight to protect our students and ensure all receive top-notch education from qualified, well-compensated professional teachers so they can start the businesses of tomorrow. I will also work to fund our schools so teachers have the resources they need, stop the disgusting attacks on our teachers coming from Lansing, and make more counselors and mental health resources available to our students. This will aid transgender students especially, who can benefit from the additional resources.
Homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth and young adults is a persistent issue in Michigan. How would your office make a positive impact for young LGBTQ+ people facing housing insecurity?
We are facing a severe housing affordability and availability crisis, and this disproportionately affects minority groups such as those in the LGBTQ+ community. We need to examine zoning laws that needlessly prohibit new developments, and turn more developments into mixed income units. Further, we need to ensure landlords aren’t discriminating against members of the LGBTQ+ community, and that social safety nets are equally accessible to this population.
State your position on abortion and other issues related to women’s reproductive health.
One of the reasons I decided to run was because of how deeply disappointed I was when our current representative opposed repealing the archaic 1931 law that outlaws abortion even in cases of rape and incest. I am in favor of more choice for women pertaining to their reproductive health, not less. Abortion is a deeply personal decision that should be left up to women and their healthcare providers, and the government should not be telling women what they can and can’t do with their bodies. I will also work to improve local access to family planning services and educational resources and fight any attempts that threaten these fundamental rights.
How do you feel about drag queens?
I support and celebrate drag queens as creative and essential members of our community.
On Marriage Equality: After the overturning of Roe v Wade, many question if the U.S. Supreme Court will revisit their 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision. Would you support any legislation that undermines the rights of same-sex couples to marry? (Yes or No — feel free to elaborate)
No, I will fully oppose any such legislation, and will fight my hardest to ensure that the rights of same-sex couples to marry and live freely are protected.
On K-12 School Curriculum: States such as Florida have passed legislation preventing teachers, counselors and coaches from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with their students, dubbed "Don't Say Gay" bills. Other states have passed legislation requiring LGBTQ+ inclusion in K-12 curricula, often determined by the local school district to determine how to effectively integrate learning materials throughout.
Michigan currently has neither a ban nor a requirement. Would you support legislation requiring Michigan schools to teach about LGBTQ+ people and identities in history and social sciences? (Yes or No — feel free to elaborate)
Yes.
How would your office help people struggling financially?
Through a variety of ways, including connecting them with social services they qualify for, working ardently to bring money from the annual budget to Rochester Hills in the form of affordable housing, education improvements, small business grants, and more. Further, I am an ardent supporter of labor, and our unions offer livable wages to bolster the middle class.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I would be honored to have your support in the upcoming election and will do everything in my power to listen to your concerns and address them in Lansing.
Visit vote411.org and michiganvoting.org to learn about the candidates and issues on your ballot and to make a voting plan.