On the ballot on November 5, 2024 are candidates for the U.S. Senate from Michigan, as well as a number of other statewide offices. Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin (pictured above, left), currently representing Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, is facing off against former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers (pictured above, right), to replace outgoing Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Rogers moved to Florida after retiring from the U.S. House and was only recently removed from Florida’s voter registration.
GLAAD is urging media covering this Senate election to include accurate information and context to explain the candidates’ records and proposals on the critical issues impacting LGBTQ people in Michigan and nationwide.
Slotkin has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights, praising the expansion of LGBTQ rights statewide while also speaking out about the need to keep pushing and remain vigilant. Rogers, meanwhile, has used his platform to oppose marriage equality and protections for the LGBTQ community.
Elissa Slotkin (D)
- At a stop on her “Thelma and Louise” campaign tour with outgoing Senator Debbie Stabenow, Slotkin chided Republicans who support book bans and stand in opposition to “teaching Black history in schools.”
- Speaking with campaign volunteers, Slotkin said library books do not pose a threat to children, and condemned divisiveness surrounding gun safety reform: “This idea that either you’re a gun owner or you care about children’s safety is complete B.S.,” Slotkin said. “That is a false choice, and what we need to do is bring our gun owner friends into the conversation on safety.”
- Criticized U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg’s praise of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, which threatens harassment, violence, and even the death penalty for LGBTQ people. Said Slotkin on X: “As someone who grew up in Michigan with a gay mom, this kind of bigotry is disturbing—especially since it comes from someone with a platform as a Congressman.”
- Joined one other Democrat and the majority of Republicans in codifying a Trump-era policy that banned Pride flags from being displayed on military bases. Said Slotkin on X: “As someone who grew up in a gay home as the daughter of a woman who came out in the 1980s, I’ve always fought for equality and LGBTQ+ rights—including again yesterday by voting last night to protect access to gender-affirming care for military families. Another vote, on Rep. Norman’s amendment, supports a policy endorsed by Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin to ban hateful flags from flying on military bases, particularly the Confederate flag. I’d rather support a no-flag policy than allow hateful imagery above U.S. military bases.”
- Recognized the eighth anniversary of marriage equality by sharing a video about the struggles her out lesbian mother faced.
- Participated in a Pride event in Ferndale, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. “Had a blast kicking off Pride month at @ferndalepride with Mayor @melpiana and a bunch of other elected friends. The turnout at one of Michigan’s largest Pride events was incredible, as was a tour of @GoAffirmations, a hopping LGBTQ community center.”
- Condemned book bans while speaking out against gun violence. Slotkin, who introduced the “Safe Guns, Safe Kids Act” in 2021, said: “A book never shot anyone in the face,” and that Republicans “are focusing on issues that are dog whistle cultural issues, to drum up political enthusiasm instead of focusing on protecting our children and history will not reflect well on them and their party right now.”
- Supported the expansion of the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act: “And the drumbeat of great news out of Michigan’s Legislature keeps coming: Expanding the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to include protections for LGBTQ Michiganders is the right thing to do, and it’s personal for me. My mom came out in the 1980s in Metro Detroit — not an easy thing to do. She passed away in 2011 before same sex marriage was legal, and long before today’s protections were ever possible. It makes me smile to think of how excited she would have been to see this day, and how proud she would have been of our Legislature.”
- Acknowledged the passing of the Respect for Marriage Act: “Today we enshrined the right to marry who you love into federal law, protecting the marriages of same-sex & interracial couples across the country. It was all the more meaningful because I was able to attend the bill signing ceremony with my mom’s longtime partner, Anne. My mom came out in suburban Detroit in the 1980s and lived the rest of her life as a gay woman. She passed away before she and Anne could legally marry, but I know how proud she would be of the historic step forward our country has taken today.”
- Grilled Republican challenger Sen. Tom Barrett on his opposition to marriage equality. “This is something that if the Republicans flip the House … there are people who are going to put up a ban on gay marriage,” Slotkin said. “They’re going to bring it to him whether he wants to vote on it or not. … Will you vote on a federal ban against gay marriage?” Barrett responded he would not, noting he felt “that this is an issue for the states to decide.”
- Shared why she voted for the Respect for Marriage Act: “Tonight I voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify marriage equality into law & take it out of the hands of courts that could roll back these hard-fought rights. When I was young, my mom came out in the ’80s, so this was a vote that hit really close to home. After the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision that made gay marriage legal, I never imagined that the right to marry the person you love would again be under threat. My mom passed away before she could legally marry her partner, & I know in detail the difference legalization makes. But times have changed, and Roe’s reversal made it clear that for this Court, nothing is off the table. Codifying marriage equality into law is the only way to make sure this fundamental right is protected.”
- Shared a message on Twitter in support of Pride month: “From our big cities to our small towns, I wish all Michiganders a happy Pride month – a time to celebrate the strength, courage, and determination of the LGBTQ community. Some of you may know that for me, supporting the LGBTQ community hits really close to home. My mother came out in the 1980s and lived the rest of her life as a gay woman – not the most popular thing to do at that time. We’ve seen huge advances for LGBTQ folks since then, but as last week’s SCOTUS decision showed, the fight is far from over. So for folks in Lansing, Holly, Howell, and all over our district, thank you for getting out there this month to express your support.”
- Supported transgender people in response to a fundraising message from Republican challenger Sen. Tom Barrett, who falsely claimed President Joe Biden “is forcing 5-year-olds to learn about gender reassignment surgeries, gender identities, and other radical ideas.” In an email to supporters, Slotkin responded that “using scare tactics about our children’s well-being to raise money for a political campaign should be off-limits.”
- Expressed the need to “continue” pushing for LGBTQ rights: “My mom did not live to see the day when gay marriage became legal in Michigan. She passed away in 2011, and it pained me to watch her partner of six years, Annie, care for her in those long ten months, knowing the state would never fully recognize their commitment to each other. It still hits me in the gut when I think about it. I know my mom would be thrilled with the progress our country has made. But that she’d also be telling me to ‘get on it,’ and continue pushing. The work is still far from over. This year, especially, we must recognize that the progress the LGBTQ community has made did not come easily—and that protesting was an effective tactic that advanced the cause for equality. This is especially important to reflect on in the wake of anti-racism protests around the country. This is a moment to recognize the discrimination and violence black members of the LGBTQ community face in particular.”
- Recognized Pride month and the need to keep fighting for LGBTQ rights: “Today is the last day of #Pride. Proud to stand alongside the LGBTQ community to celebrate how far we have come, and recognize how much more there is to do—this month and every month.”
- Announced support of the Equality Act: “My mom came out in the 1980s and lived the rest of her life as a gay woman. No one should be discriminated against for their sexual orientation or gender identity. And that certainly includes qualified individuals who wish to serve with dignity and respect in our military, and LGBTQ+ folks across our communities who still face barriers to equality. I’m proud to sponsor the #EqualityAct, legislation that would make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.”
- Tweeted a message of support at the start of Pride month: “Happy #PrideMonth! LGBTQ rights are personal: after my parents divorced in the 1980s, my mom lived the rest of her life as a gay woman. Here she is with her amazing partner, Annie, on my wedding day here in Holly.”
- A co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which aims to restore the right to abortion that was protected before the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Mike Rogers (R)
- Consistently opposed expanded protections and rights for LGBTQ people throughout his 14 years in Congress. Rogers has voted against “expanding federal hate crime laws to cover crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” In addition, “Rogers has also repeatedly voted against expanding federal hate crime laws to cover crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. He has consistently opposed marriage equality, voting in favor of constitutional amendments to define marriage strictly as a union between a man and a woman. Rogers has argued that denying same-sex couples the right to marry is not discriminatory, claiming that the ‘right has never existed,’ and he has likened same-sex marriage to polygamy.
- Held a roundtable meeting where he “promised to support legislation to roll back” the Biden Administration’s LGBTQ protections. “We’re going to take the Senate, we’re going to keep the House and we’re going to win the White House and we’re going to fix Title IX,” said Rogers, who also spoke out against transgender participation in sports. “Title IX has been here for 50 years, with the sole purpose to allow women to have equal opportunity to compete in sports,” Rogers said. “It was designed to give women opportunity, and what they’re doing to these women is taking that opportunity away.” Rogers claimed this was not a condemnation of the LGBTQ community: “It’s about fairness. It’s about Title IX.” Meeting participants included former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and anti-trans athlete Riley Gaines. Rogers used his platform to sign a pledge, the Stand With Women Commitment, which he claimed “preserves female opportunities and private spaces.”
- Received “the maximum allowable political contributions” from former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the DeVos family, a combined total of $46, 200. DeVos spent much of her career trying to defund Michigan’s public schools, and told Moms for Liberty “the Department of Education should not exist.” Both Rogers and DeVos share anti-LGBTQ, anti-abortion views.
- Tweeted support of Senate Republicans’ efforts to block Title IX expansions to include transgender protections: “Grateful for these strong Senate Republicans for taking action to protect girls and women’s sports.”
- Used a campaign ad to target what he calls “social engineering” in schools. “Schools care more about social engineering than, as my father used to say, the three ‘R’s’: Readin’, ‘Ritin, and ‘Rithmetic.” Social engineering coincides “with the rhetoric from the ‘parental rights’ movement” that opposes “books and curriculum dealing with racism and LGBTQ+ issues.”
- Advocated for book bans and extremist organizations like Moms for Liberty, who support such efforts. Speaking with MSNBC’s Joy Reid, Rogers argued that a book cannot be considered banned if it is still obtainable outside of the classroom or library. Literary and educational experts disagree, restricting or removing access is a barrier to the information and therefore, a book ban. “You could take this argument to the extreme and say, ‘Well, then everything should be available,’” said Rogers. “Let them get on pornography sites.”
- Voted against repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (2010), which barred out LGBTQ people from military service.
- Voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (2007), “which sought to prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation.”
- Characterized being LGBTQ as a “lifestyle choice” (2006), and said he would vote against same-sex marriage. “That doesn’t mean I would have loved my children any less at all, but I believe when you’re taking what is a lifestyle choice into the public arena, into the courtroom like that, it has ramifications, and I just don’t think that would be the right direction for us to go…We tell people who can drive a car. And we give marriage licenses. And we’ve decided that the best cornerstone for that level of acceptance in American society is that marriage should be between a man and a woman.” As of 2024, nine years after marriage equality was legalized nationwide, support has climbed to a record high 71%.
- Repeatedly pushed to ban abortion nationwide. He opposed reproductive rights 100% of the time, according to scorecards issued by the group NARAL Pro-Choice America, now known as Reproductive Freedom for All. Rogers backed a constitutional amendment to ban abortion and give legal rights to fetuses from the moment of conception, co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act and other proposals intended to give full legal rights to embryos and fetuses (a position that jeopardizes IVF), and voted for a 20-week national abortion ban in 2013. In 2003 and again in 2005, Rogers co-sponsored legislation to require withdrawal FDA approval of mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortions, and he endorsed the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe.
Additional Information
Approximately 373,000 LGBTQ people 13+ live in Michigan, and 27% of LGBTQ people 25+ in Michigan are raising children. Through an expansion to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, LGBTQ Michiganders are provided legal protections based on sexual orientation, as well as gender identity and expression. In addition, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law a ban on the harmful practice of conversion therapy in 2023.
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