stacy-swimp.jpg
A group of religious leaders and activists protests outside the Michigan Capitol on October 22, 2014.
(Jonathan Oosting | MLive.com)
LANSING, MI — Roughly 150 religious leaders and activists gathered outside the Michigan Capitol on Wednesday to protest a potential gay rights amendment to the state's anti-discrimination law.
“Those wanting special rights for sexual orientation are seeking to rewrite the traditional moral fiber of our society,” Tim Berlin, senior pastor at Faith Baptist Church in Warren, told onlookers.
“We are not stopping anyone from their individual choices or from their individual preferences, but we are unwilling to allow them to redefine what has been our biblical and historic precedent.”
Michigan lawmakers are considering whether to update the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination against protected classes in the work place, housing markets and places of public accommodation.
A coalition of large employers, business and advocacy groups is urging policy makers to add sexual orientation and gender identity protections to the law, which would ensure that residents cannot be fired or denied service because they are gay.
“We feel it’s the civil rights issue of the day,” said Shelli Weisberg, legislative director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.
The protesters had their say, Weisberg said, “but we know for a fact that a majority of Michiganders disagree with them."
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has indicated he’d like the Legislature to discuss an Elliott-Larsen update this year, likely after the November 4 election, but he has not shared his personal opinion on the issue.
Democrats have already introduced legislation, but House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall, has said he's still trying to find an appropriate balance between individual rights and religious liberty.
Pastor Doug LaVesque of Immanuel Baptist Church in Corunna, reading from a mission statement posted on NoGayCivilRight.com, called the Elliott-Larsen push "a solution in search of a problem" and argued it would ultimately allow reverse discrimination against religious individuals who oppose same-sex relationships.
“There is no possible religious exemption which would protect our religious freedoms,” he said.
The rally opened and closed with prayer. Attendees sang “God Bless America,” held signs and clutched bibles.
Stacy Swimp, a Michigan activist who has urged Christians not to have "false empathy" for gay residents or the "satanic agenda," told the crowd he was "insulted and offended" that lawmakers would consider adding LGBT protections to a law inspired by the African American civil rights movement.
“They’ve never had to drink out of an LGBT water fountain or been forced to sit in the back of the bus in an LGBT section,” said Swimp, who is black.
Pastor Pj Anderson, who runs the Space for Grace Fellowship Center in Lansing, watched the rally from a distance, shaking her head in response to various statements and occasionally voicing opposition.
Afterwards, Anderson noted that Swimp does not speak for all black people or pastors and argued that LGBT discrimination is a civil rights issue not a theological one.
“This is a similar group of people who used holy writ to support slavery and used holy writ to support domestic violence, saying wives should submit to their husbands...,” Anderson said. “Where is the love of God in all of that?”
Another group of religious leaders responded to Wednesday’s rally with a show of support for the push to expand Elliott-Larsen.
“My faith and my beliefs tell me to support LGBT protections that align with my values to prevent discrimination, show compassion and allow all to live without judgment,” Rev. David Alexander Bullock of Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church in Highland Park said in a statement.
Jim Murray, President of AT&T Michigan and co-chair of the Michigan Competitive Workforce Coalition, said he remains optimistic that the Legislature will take up the issue this year but said most lawmakers are focused on elections right now.
Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.