Michigan
Voters defeat anti-gay initiatives
By Leslie Feinberg
Anti-gay zealots waged a multi-pronged battle against
lesbian and gay civil rights in the Michigan elections. But
voters dealt these right-wing efforts a triple defeat.
The American Family Association--a mild misnomer for a
reactionary organization--inspired and initiated the anti-gay
measures.
These anti-same-sex measures are specifically aimed at
lesbians and gay men. But they also imperil bisexuals.
Transsexual and transgender people are oppressed because of how
they define their sex or express their gender. The right wing
has historically linked its attacks on sexual, gender and sex
diversity, so a win or loss for one oppressed group in the
lesbian, gay, bi and trans coalition has an impact on the
others.
A victory that pushes back the right wing creates a more
favorable political climate for all who are struggling for
social and economic justice.
Many people on both sides of the barricade--left and
right--closely followed the votes in Michigan because the state
had four anti-gay ballot measures in this election, more than
any other state in the country.
In Traverse City and Kalamazoo, the gay-bashing city charter
amendments would have barred those cities from protecting
lesbian and gay residents from discrimination. The measures
would have made any existing or future protections based on
sexual orientation null and void.
But voters stepped into the booths and pulled the levers in
the direction of social progress, not reaction. Both cities
recorded votes that overwhelmingly trounced the bigoted
initiatives.
The third city in the crosshairs of the AFA was Huntington
Woods. But residents there voted up the city's human rights
ordinance, making it the 11th city in that state to protect
individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation and
gender identity.
The term gender identity protects individuals who are living
in a sex other than the one legally assigned to them at birth.
But feminine males, masculine females, people who are
androgynous, cross-dres sers and other transgender people can
use this win to argue for a broader legal interpretation to
defend against widespread gender discrimination.
And the vote reflected no skittishness: The ordinance passed
by a 2-to-1 margin.
"The American Family Association has made a tragic
miscalculation about Michigan," said Sean Kosofsky, director of
policy for the Triangle Foundation. The organization has
actively fought these and other anti-gay ballot measures in
Michigan since 1994.
"Michigan voters have soundly defeated these anti-gay ballot
measures and took a stand for diversity and acceptance. This is
a clean sweep," Kosofsky concluded. "The AFA's message of
discrimination will not fly in Michigan and we strongly
encourage them to heed the message from voters and stop their
anti-gay crusade."
There's just one more anti-gay ballot initiative in the
state left to decide. Do the right thing, Ypsilanti.
Reprinted from the Nov. 22, 2001, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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