UPDATE:
CTV PAC Rescinding Legislator Endorsements
Through the years, CTV PAC has consistently opposed the expansion of the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity as a protected class. We want to share why we oppose this and why we specifically asked candidates about their stance on this as a condition of endorsement.
We are rescinding the endorsement of those who voted for the passage of this expansion—which did not include the needed protections for religious conscience. This includes the following legislators: Rep. Beson, Rep. Bierlein, Rep. Mueller, Rep. Schmaltz, Rep. Schuette, Rep. Tisdel, Rep. Wendzel, Sen. Bellino and Sen. Webber.
We understand there were various different reasons for their votes and while we appreciate the support shown to include religious freedom protections, the vote for final passage of this bill without those protections violated CTV PAC's core principle of good governance.
Below are some key reasons why we've made this decision. For an in-depth analysis, click here.
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We all agree that hate and discrimination of any kind is unacceptable. That is why we opposed this expansion unless it included protections for religious conscience as well. Otherwise, these vague categories might be used as a discriminatory weapon against religious citizens in a manner policymakers may not have considered.
- There are 22 other states with similar expansions in their civil rights laws, but they also included protections for religious liberty. Why can't Michigan follow suit?
- These new categories of "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" are internal to the person asserting the protection and are not readily apparent to anyone else.
- This expansion creates an unsolvable conflict. In order to prevent discrimination against those in new categories, discrimination must be used against those whose religious beliefs are protected by the same law.
- This expansion infringes on the constitutional right to free speech and the right to freedom of association.
Another one of our core principles is the sanctity of life. We've consistently fought to protect the unborn from abortion. Recently, we strongly opposed the repeal of the 1931 Michigan abortion ban and related statutes that protected both women and unborn viable children in the final stages of pregnancy. These statutes remained relevant because under Proposal 3 the state maintained a right to regulate post viability. Unfortunately, two representatives endorsed by CTV PAC voted for the repeal of this important law. For this reason, we are rescinding the endorsement of Rep. Steele and Rep. Kuhn.
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