Since it’s Friday, it’s time for a Left of Lansing Short.

In this week’s “short,” I take my cue from Greta VanZetten, who explained in a Detroit Free Press op-ed that while she loves her home state of Michigan, she suffers great apprehension and anxiety on coming back to her home on the west side of the state.

Why?

Gretta’s part of the LGBTQ+ community, and she’s appreciative of some of the moves the Michigan legislature has taken to protect gay rights, like strengthening protections for sexual orientation and expanding coverage for gender identity and expression in the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, for example. However, the voices of bigotry, ignorance, and downright hatred are fighting hard to suppress and erase the kind of diversity we must celebrate in our state.

As Greta says,

No one’s existence should be subject to debate. Michigan is my home, as much as it is yours, and we all deserve to feel like we belong. 

https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2023/06/06/michigan-lgbtq-rights-holland-politics-equality/70189872007/?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot

Let’s make Michigan a place where everyone wants to belong. It’s not only because it’s the best way to help reverse our population and brain drain, but it’s the right thing to do for humanity.

leftoflansing@gmail.com

–Pat

Notes:

“‘State of emergency’ declared for LGBTQ people in U.S.” by Jordyn Hermani in MLive

“Beer Is Losing Popularity,So, what Do Millennials And Gen Z Prefer?” by Slurrp.com