Gary Glenn comes out swinging for bullies

Gary Glenn, hate group leader who tries to fashion himself as a compassionate Christian, is continuing his support for bullying by 1) bullying legislators into a narrow right wing misinterpretation of Matt's Safe Schools Law and 2) working to defeat legislation that would protect school children from violence. That's right, the American Family Association is committed to killing legislation that would protect all youth from bullying. Why you ask? Because the AFA is so blinded by their animus towards gays, they will hurt anyone in order to hurt gays.

Here is a link to a recent piece by the Livingston Press and Argus about the issue.

Gary Glenn is also lying about the hugely successful Safe Schools Lobby day held on March 26th at the Michigan State Capitol. Over 165 people lobbied their state senators and reinvigorated the legislation. Gary is falsely claiming that there was a dress code. Neither Triangle nor the Michigan Safe Schools Coalition has ever instituted a dress code for lobby days.

Below is the text from a MIRS article that came out today:

The American Family Association of Michigan (AFAM) is crowing that two GOP
senators have yanked their sponsorship of anti-bullying legislation, issuing
joint press releases with Sens. Randy RICHARDVILLE (R-Monroe) and Valde GARCIA (R-Howell).

HB 4162 and HB 4091 passed the lower chamber last year and have been sitting in the Senate Education Committee ever since, but a Capitol rally last week brought the bills back to the forefront. There's also SB 0107 sponsored by Sen. Glenn ANDERSON (D-Westland), but proponents say they're focused on the House bills.

AFAM blasted a lobby day event put on by the Safe Schools Coalition on Wednesday
pushing "Matt's Safe School Law," named after Matt EPLING, an East Lansing
eighth-grader who took his own life in 2002 after severe hazing incidents.
School districts would have six months to adopt an anti-bullying policy or face
potential future action by the Legislature ("Bullying Bills Primed
For Movement," 3/13/07).

AFAM President Gary GLENN blasts the legislation as promoting the "homosexual agenda" by including gender identity and homosexuality as personal characteristics a person could not be bullied for. But Sean KASOFSKY, policy director for the gay rights group the Triangle Foundation, said the House bills don't have a list of protected groups.

In an e-mailed release Wednesday morning, Glenn accused the Triangle Foundation of instituting a dress code for the lobby day, which attracted more than 100 people, including Michigan State Police Director Peter MUNOZ.

Glenn unleashed response that raised the ire of the Triangle Foundation: "In the sad reality of enabling emotional trauma and delusion that comprises their stock in trade," Glenn said, "it is not a joking matter to wonder if the Triangle Foundation's wardrobe instructions will further traumatize or inhibit the emotionally disturbed men who claim they're really women, who had every serious intent of wearing a dress to the state Capitol and using the women's restrooms while they're there. Is the Triangle Foundation asking 'lobbying day' participants to go back into the closet for mere political expedience?"

Kasofsky retorted: "There's no dress code for our lobby day. We've
had people with Mohawks and people in jeans and T-shirts. It's come as you are.
… This is the politics of distraction. That's why they bring up cross-dressing
and women's restrooms. … The AFAM isn't a pro-family organization. They're a
hate group."

AFAM issued a press release announcing Garcia had dropped his
support for SB 0107 four hours later on Wednesday. A similar release with
Richardville followed on Friday. But the senators stress AFAM didn't bully them
into retracting their support. "The AFAM had concerns, but they didn't pressure
me to change my mind," Garcia said. "They're just now getting involved … I
always had concerns." "That's not the reason I do things," Richardville told
MIRS. Anderson concurred that he didn't believe his colleagues had caved to
AFAM, saying he held them both in "high regard."

Garcia said he became more aware of problems with the bill after he signed on last year. Furthermore, he points out neither have technically withdrawn their names because that can't happen until legislation comes before the Senate. Anderson said Garcia had told him of his decision. He stressed they're "still in the process of working out differences."

Kasofsky said it's moot. The focus is on getting the House bills
passed, which have more updated language than Anderson's bill. He described
Garcia's and Richardville's actions as "disheartening," but felt confident
they'd sign on to the final legislation.

"Gary Glenn is manufacturing dissent where there's not any," he said. Garcia and Richardville said they were concerned about bullying as a problem, but did not want to protect specific classes of people based on sex, race, sexual orientation, etc. It's the same argument used against hate crime legislation — a crime's a crime, so it's no
different to attack someone even if race, for instance, is a motivating factor.

Richardville notes sexual orientation is included, but factors like "physical
size, what part of the city kids live in and what their clothes look like" are
not. He would like to see a more general anti-bullying bill. "Everyone should be
protected," Richardville said, "not just certain classes." Garcia agrees that
"inadvertently, you leave something out, someone out."

Glenn calls the legislation a "Trojan horse." "(It) would have no real effect on bullying but is being backed by homosexual activist groups who hope to use legitimate public
concern about student safety as a ruse to establish — for the first time ever,
anywhere in Michigan law — special 'protected class' status based on homosexual
behavior and cross-dressing," Glenn claims. Richardville said he's not
interested in championing anyone's "agenda."

Anderson said he's received several e-mails from people "who don't believe some people should be protected. I believe all children should. (Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) students should not be in fear." He also said AFAM is using the bill as a fundraiser and to motivate its base. He said it's "fanning bigotry across the state, anxiety across the state. "Unfortunately, we're talking about school kids here,"
Anderson said.

"It's difficult to express how I feel about someone using that to
raise money when not all children are afforded a safe environment to learn."
Richardville said he doesn't doubt that gay students — and those perceived as
gay — face bullying at school. "I don't espouse that lifestyle, but there are
students figuring those things out. I just don't think we should spell things
out (in legislation)," Richardville said. "That's not my agenda item." He
condemns "radical" groups that use hate speech, like the Kansas Westboro Baptist
Church's "God hates fags" campaign. Richardville said he views issues through a
Christian lens in which you "love the sinner, but hate the sin."

Richardville said after talking with Education Chair Wayne KUIPERS
(R-Holland) he believes taking out the specific groups will make it easier to
pass the bill. Anderson said he's willing to compromise and remains optimistic.
"If you try to get everything, you won't get everything," Richardville
said.

"How to Be Gay" Class Still Controversial

The infamous class at U of M, "How to be Gay" is no longer being taught but it still riles up the conservative wing-nuts. Here is another news item on the issue with quotes from me.

http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=culture&sc2=features&sc3=&id=71356

My Scar

Here is my most recent column in Between the Lines.

My Scar

All Politics is Loco: My scarby Sean KosofskyOriginally printed 01/17/2008 (Issue 1602 - Between The Lines News)

I have always prided myself in the fact that I rarely get sick. I have never broken a bone, I don't recall every getting the flu and overall I rarely am under the weather. The body I have is a body I have taken care of and in return I have been rewarded with good health. Granted much of this could be luck or good genes, but either way it is a fact.

Also, during my life I never racked up a lot of scars. The trophies to rough and tumble play, contact supports, construction work and careless handling of household tools are hard to find on me. Until recently.

In 2007 my doctor noticed that a small mole on my chest was turning darker. She decided to take a biopsy which entailed carving out a small chunk of skin from my chest, with something that looked like a cross between a small mellon baller and a metal pen. It was uncomfortable but in just a few days the results came back negative, but my doctor still worried about this pesky mole. So I had to come in a second time for her to scoop out the rest. I was worried about the scar it would leave especially when I removed the bandages and saw the (what looked like a crater-sized) hole.

The scar has healed now and there is a new point of interest on the landscape of my chest. It is a dime-sized pink cluster of tissue that is a daily reminder, each time I look in the mirror after getting out of the shower, that I was one of the lucky ones. I had health insurance.

Many of us that have always had health insurance - decent to good health insurance - know that 90% of the time the only inconvenience is the darn several-dollar co-pay for pharmaceuticals or the doctor's visit. But for those without health insurance, each day is like running an obstacle course of dodging germs, driving slower, not participating in sports or other recreational fun, and being extra careful about what you eat or drink and sometimes doing the same for your partner or children.

In Michigan nearly a million people are uninsured and many more are underinsured. And that number is growing. This is unfathomable to me that in the wealthiest nation in the world we cannot get every American the basic medical attention they need to prevent health or financial-related disaster for them or their family.

There are two ballot measures coming to Michigan this year that will directly impact this. First, this week a campaign was launched to pass universal health care in Michigan. We would be the first state to pass such a broad and progressive proposal. This is most certainly a GLBT Issues especially since so many employers either do not cover domestic partner benefits and because marriage equality keeps us from accessing the benefits that do exist for our partners. Such a ballot measure may also help transgender people with necessary transitioning services. Triangle Foundation is strongly supporting the health care ballot measure and you should too. Polling shows the measure will likely easily pass in Michigan, especially with growing concerns that our economy may leave more people uninsured in 2008.

The next ballot measure you should be wary of is something deceptively called "Right to Work" which I call "Divide and Destroy." This measure could shred labor unions in our state which would dramatically reduce the number of people in Michigan with health insurance, not to mention diminishing the power of organized labor which would lower wages in Michigan. "Right to Work" states have lower standards of living and worse health for its citizens.

In 2008 do your part for the GLBT movement while also helping countless other populations by supporting the universal health care ballot measure. Support our friends in labor and don't let Michigan regress any further like we did under the marriage ban of 2004 and the affirmative action ban in 2006. We must fight for a Michigan that people want to call home. Michigan has its own scars in our state constitution. We can begin to heal those in 2008 if we vote for our community to be protected.

Sean Kosofsky is the Director of Policy for Triangle Foundation, Michigan's leading GLBT civil rights organization.

Three MI Republicans Vote for ENDA

Yesterday was the historic and controversial vote on ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act). Three Michigan Republican Congresspersons voted YES which was very surprising to me given their past record.
They were: Congressman Joe Knollenberg, Candice Miller, and Thaddeus McCotter.

McCotter and Miller have both been co-sponsors of the Federal Marriage Amendment and Knollenberg used to have a 0% voting record with the Human Rights Campaign.

I am pretty certain that Knollenberg's position on ENDA stems from his current Democratic Challenger Gary Peters, whom many people believe may defeat him next November. Peters is known for being progressive on GLBT issues.

Barry Lynn is Coming, Barry Lynn is Coming!

I am a proud member of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. Barry Lynn, the UCC Minister and Executive Director of AU has been a hero of mine for years.

I was fortunate enough a few years ago to hear him speak at the Creating Change conference produced by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. As member of AU and NGLTF I was very excited to see AU have visible presence on GLBT issues. I think, officially, AU has no position on GLBT issues, but universally their campaign to block religious extremists from turning America into a theocracy, has landed them in our court nearly every time.

Every month I receive the newsletter for AU called Church and State and I read it cover to cover. AU is probably one of my favorite organizations and I cannot think of a patriot committed to church/state separation more dynamic than Barry Lynn.

This year Lynn will be the keynote speaker at the Triangle Foundation Annual State Dinner. The dinner is Sept. 29th and will be held in Dearborn, MI. The fact that Triangle will have someone of Barry's caliber is very exciting to me. Barry effectively is able to weave together a narrative that will unify our dinner attendees so they can see the interconnectedness of GLBT organizing and defense of the Constitutional principle of church/state separation.

Please consider coming to the Triangle dinner and find out more about Americans United, too.