State of Michigan Archives: on Civil Rights
Marcia Squier:
Racism is a threat to domestic security
Q: Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?A:
Racism is a threat to domestic security because the effects of it can include widespread unrest and violence. Things escalate unnecessarily when racism is involved.
Source: AFA iVoterGuide on 2020 Michigan Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
Gretchen Whitmer:
When women thrive, we all thrive
When women thrive, we all thrive. However, women of Michigan have been held back by an economy and a state government that does not treat them as equals. Women still struggle with inequity in
Michigan's economy, earning just 74 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earn for the same work. I will stand up for women and turn Michigan into a model state for equality.
Source: 2022 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Mar 24, 2020
Gretchen Whitmer:
Fought for same-sex adoptions and domestic partner benefits
Year after year, in the Senate and as a private citizen, I pushed to expand our civil rights laws to include all people regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.
We drew the line when lawmakers tried to exclude transgender people from our civil rights laws. And I fought for same-sex adoptions and domestic partner benefits.
Source: 2022 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Mar 24, 2020
Gretchen Whitmer:
Ensure overseas ballots from service members are counted
Promoting universal voter access, because it is too hard to register and to vote in Michigan, and as a result, fewer people do it. Everyone who applies for a driver's license or state ID should be automatically registered to vote, and any registered
voters should be able to vote absentee or by mail. As a legislator, I fought to ensure valid ballots from our service members overseas were counted, to prevent voters from being turned away at the polls, and to allow same-day voter registration.
Source: 2022 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Mar 24, 2020
Gretchen Whitmer:
Coronavirus: Exempt places of worship, no jurisdiction
Whitmer touted the "aggressive actions" her state has taken to combat the spread of the virus. The governor was then pressed by "exemption" that groups of 50 or more people can still gather in places of worship, which she herself discourages but pointed
to the "separation of church and state" and that the "Republican legislature" urged her to clarify that the state government had no jurisdiction over religious establishments. "We are encouraging people though do not congregate."
"We can't have half-truths or hyperbole convince people that this isn't to be taken seriously. If you're not serious, you're woefully uneducated about what we are confronting as a nation," she continued. "And that's why I'm trying to implore
everyone to take this seriously. Do your part. Every one of us, whether you're asymptomatic and healthy today or you're someone who is medically vulnerable, has to do their part- washing your hands, social distancing, all of the practices from the CDC."
Source: Fox News Sunday interview for 2020 Michigan Governor race
Mar 22, 2020
Bill Schuette:
Gay marriage ban was simply recognition that biology matters
Q: Support gay marriage?Bill Schuette (R): No. Defended voter-enacted marriage ban as "a simple recognition that biology matters." But will respect Supreme Court decision allowing it.
Gretchen Whitmer (D): Yes. Introduced 2013 bill to repeal Michigan's same-sex marriage ban, two years before Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Michigan Governor race
Oct 9, 2018
Gretchen Whitmer:
2013: repeal Michigan's same-sex marriage ban
Q: Support gay marriage?Bill Schuette (R): No. Defended voter-enacted marriage ban as "a simple recognition that biology matters." But will respect Supreme Court decision allowing it.
Gretchen Whitmer (D): Yes. Introduced 2013 bill to repeal Michigan's same-sex marriage ban, two years before Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Michigan Governor race
Oct 9, 2018
John James:
Employers shouldn't be able to fire someone for being gay
Q: Gay Marriage: Support gay marriage?John James (R): Unknown. But says employers shouldn't be able to fire someone for being gay.
Debbie Stabenow (D): Yes. Many votes against discrimination, even before the Supreme Court ruling.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Michigan Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
John James:
Opposed laws protecting LGBTQ from employment discrimination
John James is eagerly accepting support from anti-LGBTQ extremist Mike Pence, and has previously refused to support laws protecting LGBTQ Michiganders from discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations.
HRC's State Director says, "In a state with 1.1. Million Equality Voters, where a strong majority of citizens support marriage equality and fundamental civil rights, James has nonetheless perplexingly chosen to align with
Mike Pence--an extremist who has made virulent anti-LGBTQ activism the cornerstone of his political career. As they campaign to push their discriminatory, anti-equality agenda,
HRC is on the ground mobilizing our hundreds of thousands of members and supporters in Michigan to reject the politics of hate and ensure that pro-equality champion Debbie Stabenow remains in office."
Source: HRC.org on 2018 Michigan Senate race
Aug 28, 2018
Bill Schuette:
Include LGBT gender identity in laws against discrimination
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission directed an agency to continue investigating complaints of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, after the state AG declared the basis for the probes to be invalid because state law does
not protect LGBT people from discrimination. He said "sex" refers to the biological differences between males and females--not sexual orientation or gender identity--and only the Legislature or voters can expand the law to protect LGBT citizens.
Source: Detroit Free Press on 2018 Michigan gubernatorial race
Jul 23, 2018
Abdul El-Sayed:
Equal pay, more opportunity, for women
To close the wage gap, I support policies that value-rather than punish-the choice to care for our families, including universal paid sick leave, parental leave, and robust financial support for childcare.
I will invest in programs that connect women to well-paying careers in nontraditional fields and pursue wage increases in sectors dominated by women, whenever and wherever possible.
Source: 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial website AbdulForMichigan.com
Nov 1, 2017
Gretchen Whitmer:
Guarantee equal pay for equal work
When women thrive, we all thrive. Women in Michigan earn 74 cents for every dollar their male counterparts make for the same work.
As Governor, I will demand equal pay for equal work to support women and their families in an economy that increasingly requires two paychecks to pay the bills and where a growing number of women are the sole income earners.
Source: 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Nov 1, 2017
Gretchen Whitmer:
Expand civil rights laws
Year after year, in the Senate and as a private citizen, I pushed to expand our civil rights laws to include people of all genders, identities, and sexual orientations.
We drew the line when lawmakers tried to exclude transgender people from our civil rights laws. And I fought for same-sex adoptions and domestic partner benefits.
Source: 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Nov 1, 2017
Marcia Squier:
Support affirmative action and reparations like urban repair
Q: Do you support legally requiring hiring more women & minorities?A: This question is vague with regards to who would be required and what "more" means.
Q: Well, what do you think of affirmative action in hiring practices? In college admissions?
I.e., requiring that companies hire "more" women, that colleges admit "more" minorities?
A: I support Affirmative Action i.e. requiring more hiring and admissions into higher education (college, vocational, trade schools).
Q: You responded to the
Michigan VotersGuide survey in 2016 that "reparations need to heal the racial divisiveness"--did you mean legal reparations like hiring more minorities? Or financial reparations?
A: I support both legal reparations like affirmative action & financial
reparations, along with focusing on repairing urban decay instead of suburban sprawl. The non-white community has suffered enough at the hands of our predominantly white male dominated government. It's time to address it and take responsibility for it.
Source: OnTheIssues interview on 2018 Michigan Senate race
Jul 20, 2017
Marcia Squier:
Comfortable with same-sex marriage
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Comfortable with same-sex marriage"?
A: Strongly support.
Source: OnTheIssues interview on 2018 Michigan Senate race
Jul 19, 2017
Abdul El-Sayed:
Sensitive to women's rights and transgender people's rights
Though El-Sayed recognized his identity as a cisgender, straight man, he said his ethnic and religious background has made him more sensitive to issues of those of all identities, including women's rights and transgender people's rights.
"We have to believe that government is for the people by the people and that it hasn't been sold out to corporations or to money," El-Sayed said. "I'm not running for governor to be governor."
Source: MI Daily Staff on 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial race
Mar 13, 2017
Marcia Squier:
Racial inequality continues to be a serious problem
Q: Do you agree or disagree that racial inequality continues to be a serious problem in America?Marcia Squier: Agree
Rep. Brenda Lawrence (Dem.): Strongly agree
Q: What would you do about it?
Squier: I agree that racial inequality continues to
be a serious problem in America. I believe that all people are created equal, and that reparations need to be made in order to begin to move towards healing the racial divisiveness. i believe that racism is a learned behavior, and although some progress
has been made, we still have a long way to go, especially in terms of police brutality, education, and health care. I would support strict accountability legislation for all authority figures, flipping the current status quo. Authority figures MUST be
held to a higher standard of justice than the American public. It is their choice to "protect & serve", and they will be held accountable.
Lawrence: We need comprehensive criminal justice reform, comprehensive immigration reform, & education equality.
Source: VotersGuide on 2016 Michigan House race
Nov 1, 2016
Rick Snyder:
Add LGBT anti-discrimination to civil rights law
[While declining to appeal a court ruling that legalized] 300 same-sex marriages conducted in 2014, Gov. Snyder called on his fellow Republicans in January to keep up efforts to end discrimination against LGBT individuals by amending the state's
Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which protects citizens against discrimination based on race, age, sex and religion, but doesn't protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation. "Let's keep up that dialogue and
let's show that we can deal with issues of discrimination in our state," he said during his fifth State of the State address.
However, that same month, Snyder remained silent as the state's attorney general argued for Michigan's gay marriage ban. The governor's own position on gay marriage has been described as "head-spinning."
Source: Huffington Post on 2015 Michigan State of the State address
Feb 4, 2015
Terri Lynn Land:
Equal pay for equal work for men and women
Terri Lynn Land: As Secretary of State, I made Government work. As Senator, I'll do it again.Congress and the President have failed. They spend too much, our border isn't secure, and they've made America less safe.
Congressman Peters says a mom like me isn't up to the job.
But moms like me get things done. Let's secure the border, repeal ObamaCare and get equal pay for equal work for men and women.
I'm Terri Lynn Land and I approve this message.
Source: AdWatch: Youtube campaign video: 2014 Michigan Senate debate
Oct 15, 2014
Mike Bishop:
Marriage is union of one man & one woman
Q: Marriage is a union of one man and one woman? No government has the authority to alter this definition?
Bishop: Strongly Agree
Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 Michigan Senate race
Sep 30, 2014
Terri Lynn Land:
Equal pay good; but Paycheck Fairness Act bad
An ad from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee claims Terri Lynn Land "said guaranteeing equal pay for women who do the same work as men is not a good idea."
Land actually said she supports equal pay for equal work, but the Democratic-sponsored Paycheck Fairness Act wasn't "a good idea."
Source: FactCheck.org PacWatch on 2014 Michigan Senate debate
Aug 29, 2014
Terri Lynn Land:
Women want job flexibility more than equal pay
A 2010 video shows Land, then Michigan's secretary of state, telling an audience that women aren't actually interested in fighting for equal pay. American Bridge 21st Century PAC had sent the speech to media outlets."Well, we all like to be paid
more and that's great, but the reality is that women have a different lifestyle," Land said at the 2010 Senior Women's Club event. "They have kids. They have to take them to get dentist appointments, doctor's appointments, all those kinds of things.
And they're more interested in flexibility in a job than pay."
Women make 74 cents to every dollar a man makes for work in Michigan. Michigan is ranked 45 out of 50 states in terms of how much women are paid compared with men.
American Bridge 21st Century, which publicized the video, is a liberal super-PAC that conducts opposition research on behalf of Democratic candidates and liberal issues.
Source: Huffington Post on 2014 Michigan Senate race
Apr 8, 2014
Terri Lynn Land:
AdWatch: No discrimination, but "no comment" on gay- bashing
As prominent Michigan Republicans distance themselves from controversial remarks national committeeman Dave Agema made about homosexuals, Land has refused interview requests, instead choosing to issue only a prepared statement that fails to fully address
the comments from Agema. The statement quickly spins from the topic of Agema renewing his religious belief against same-sex marriage and claiming gays want free medical care because they are dying young from AIDS to disparaging Democrats as desperate.
"Terri does not tolerate discriminatory acts or speech, and believes that all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect," the emailed statement said.
When reached by phone, Land declined to elaborate on what she finds objectionable about
Agema's talk. She deferred to the emailed statement. Land has not responded to questions about whether Agema should be asked to resign. Meanwhile, the state's top elected Republican, Gov. Rick Snyder, has publicly condemned Agema.
Source: MLive.com AdWatch on 2014 Michigan Senate race press release
Dec 13, 2013
Terri Lynn Land:
Supports GOP platform which bans same-sex marriage
Terri Lynn Land announced she will continue to serve as National Committeewoman for the National Republican Party while running for Senate. In this role, Land voted for, and will continue to promote, the GOP platform, which called for turning
Medicare into a voucher program and a ban on abortion that did not include exceptions for rape, incest or saving a woman's life. Land's extreme GOP platform also supported privatizing Social Security, banning same sex marriage, opposing any gun
legislation that would limit "the capacity of clips or magazine," banning women from combat, and a study to determine whether to return the US dollar to the gold standard.
In August 2009, the New York Times reported that the 2012 GOP platform "calls state court decisions recognizing same-sex marriage "an assault on the foundations of our society."
Source: DSCC press release on 2014 Michigan Senate debate
Jun 11, 2013
Scotty Boman:
Backs gay marriage
After two hours of stepping outside some Republican circles by backing gay marriage and taking a hard libertarian bent, GOP Senate hopeful Scotty Boman admitted his campaign is running on fumes. "I'm doing a
Hail Mary as far as getting enough signatures to get in is concerned," Boman said Monday night while giving a closing argument at a candidates forum in Grandville and acknowledging he doesn't have the 15,000 necessary to qualify for the August primary.
Source: Nate Reens in Michigan Live on 2012 Michigan Senate debates
May 14, 2012
Rick Snyder:
Against benefits for domestic partners
The Civil Service Commission was informed on Wednesday that preliminary numbers show that fewer than 100 people will take advantage of domestic partner benefits. The price tag is estimated to be less than
$600,000--a far cry from the $6 million to $8 million the Gov. Rick Snyder administration and legislative Republicans claimed it would be.
Source: Susan Demas on MLive.com (Michigan News)
Sep 22, 2011
Rocky Raczkowski:
Keep Don't Ask, Don't Tell military policy
Gary Peters and his opponent, Rocky Raczkowski, are like two bad sports talk radio partners: they simply disagree on everything. (Except immigration, a hot button issue in which pandering to either side can seriously jeopardize your campaign.) The two
candidates have become cartoon caricatures of their respective parties. Peters gets painted as a flaming liberal who kowtows to the "socialist" liberal agenda and Raczkowski is deemed a tin-foil hat wearing ultra right-wing lunatic. Case in point: this
Freep summation of their positions on the only other 3 issues in this election:
- Health care reform
Peters: Supported
Raczkowski: Wants to repeal - Gays in the military
Peters: Repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy
Raczkowski:
Keep the policy - Federal enforcement of medical marijuana laws
Peters: Wants Michigan voters' legalization of medical marijuana implemented without federal interference
Raczkowski: Wants no further expansion of medical marijuana law
Source: Michigan Lawyers Weekly on 2010 Michigan House race
Sep 10, 2010
Mitt Romney:
Equality for Muslims; but follow hate-preachers into mosques
Q: Arab Americans are feeling a bias after Sept. 11th from their fellow Americans. How would you change that? A: Well, of course, we remind people that this is a nation that recognizes the equality of all individuals. We also want to make sure that
our nation is kept safe. And we’re going to pursue any avenue we have to, to assure that people who might be preaching or teaching doctrines of hate or terror are going to be followed into a church or into a school or a mosque or wherever they might be.
Source: 2007 Republican debate in Dearborn, Michigan
Oct 9, 2007
Mike Bouchard:
Helped pass Michigan’s ban on assisted suicide
In the Michigan Senate, Mike Bouchard helped pass Michigan’s ban on assisted suicide which took effect in 1998.
Source: Right-to-Life of Michigan campaign comparison brochure
Sep 1, 2006
Mike Bouchard:
Opposes gay marriage
Gay Marriage/civil unions/gay adoption - Butler opposes all three. Bouchard opposed gay marriage and did not mention the other two. Zandstra opposes all three.
Source: RepublicanMichigander.blogspot.com commentary on GOP debate
Dec 7, 2005
Alan Keyes:
The path to your freedom is standing firm for God’s will
What you stand firm for, what you stand firm for in the way of God’s will, that is the path to your freedom. And that means that if we want freedom, we’re going to have to learn that the only path of citizenship open to people of Christian conscience
is the path of that liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. And that liberty requires that we stand where God wants us to stand, and that we refuse to surrender our rights to acknowledge His will and to live in societies that respect His law.
Source: Rally for the Ten Commandments, Hillsdale, Michigan
Feb 7, 2004
Alan Keyes:
We live under the tyranny of the federal judges
We live in the moral realm under the tyranny of the judges on the federal bench. They have destroyed our Constitution. They have trampled our rights. They have also violated another provision of the Constitution nobody wants to look at. It’s Article 4,
Section 4, which says that the US shall guarantee to each of the states of this union a republican form of government. Republican means “of the people, by the people, for the people,” not “of the judges, for of the lawyers, by the power of the judiciary.
Source: Rally for the Ten Commandments, Hillsdale, Michigan
Feb 7, 2004
Alan Keyes:
Protect religion from the state, but not vice versa
Influence can flow from the church to the state, but power and force can’t flow back from the state to the church. So, there is a separation, but that separation was not meant to protect the state from the religion. It was meant to protect religion from
the state. And what is most ironic and most sad, what would be silly if it weren’t so grievous in its consequences, is that the very purpose of the First Amendment it is the amendment cited by the federal judges to impose that very dictatorship.
Source: Rally for the Ten Commandments, Hillsdale, Michigan
Feb 7, 2004
Alan Keyes:
Right to acknowledge God is the foundation of all our rights
We have seen marches on Washington for the sake of civil rights, union rights, women’s rights and gay rights and every other kind of rights. But at the bottom of it all there is that statement that we get our rights from God. If they don’t let us
acknowledge God, then they undermine the very foundation of all that courage wherewith we claim our liberty. That means this time, we will come together not just for this right or that right, but for that which is the foundation of all our other rights.
Source: Rally for the Ten Commandments, Hillsdale, Michigan
Feb 7, 2004
Mike Bishop:
No affirmative action in colleges nor public employment
Q: On Affirmative Action: Which of the following state agencies should take race and sex into account when making employment decisions? College and university admissions?A: No.
Q: Public employment?
A: No.
Q: State contracting?
A: No.
Source: 2000 Michigan National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 2000
Mike Bishop:
No same-sex civil unions, nor marriage
Q: Should Michigan include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination laws?A: No.
Q: Should Michigan recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
A: No.
Q: Should Michigan restrict marriage to a relationship only between a man and a woman?
A: Yes.
Q: Should physician-assisted suicide be legally available in Michigan?
A: No.
Source: 2000 Michigan National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 2000
Mark Schauer:
Supports affirmative action
Schauer indicated support for the following principles concerning affirmative action. - Q: State government agencies should take race and sex into account in...
College and university admissions?
A: Yes. - Q: Public employment?
A: Yes - Q: State contracting?
A: Yes
Source: Michigan State 1998 National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 1998
Bill Schuette:
No same-sex marriage; no LGBT anti-discrimination laws
Q: Do you believe that the Michigan government should include sexual orientation in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws?A: No.
Q: Do you believe that the Michigan government should recognize same-sex marriages?
A: No.
Q: Should physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients be banned in Michigan?
A: Yes.
Source: Michigan Legislative 1996 National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 1996
Page last updated: Oct 13, 2021