Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) spoke at the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner last Saturday, where she told the more than 2000 attendees that “fighting for basic fundamental freedoms is the right thing to do and the politically smart thing to do every time.”
As the keynote speaker, Whitmer emphasized the need to fight for these freedoms for every person “no matter who they are or who they sleep next to.”
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“As a friend and ally and fellow citizen, I will always, always have your back,” she opened. “You deserve to love who you love no matter what; you deserve to be who you are no matter what; you deserve to be treated with dignity and respect just like every other human being no matter what. I see you, and I stand with you, and I will always fight like hell for you no matter what.”
She also slammed anti-LGBTQ+ politicians, who, she told the crowd, “hurt you to help themselves.”
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She then spoke about her daughter, Sherry, coming out to her through a college application essay. “I didn’t know I was raising a gay daughter all those years,” she said, referring to her time working on pro-LGBTQ+ legislation as governor, “but I am damn proud I did.”
“As a parent, there is nothing I won’t do to protect my kids,” she added, “and as a governor, there is nothing I won’t do to protect yours.” She then touted her historic signing of the 2023 Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act expansion, which added sexual orientation and gender identity to the original 1976 anti-discrimination act, calling it “one of the best days of my life.”
She also joked that she’s an MLM, “a Midwest lesbian’s mom.”
At the end of her speech, Whitmer – who is term-limited and not eligible for re-election – emphasized the importance of voting in the upcoming midterms. Especially in swing states like Michigan, she stressed that every single vote counts. She encouraged LGBTQ+ voters to “show up loud and proud and prove that you won’t be pushed around.”
“I have a message to my Republican colleagues who aren’t smart enough to stand in rooms like this one,” she declared. “Good luck, babe.”
In addition to signing the civil rights expansion bill, Whitmer also signed a bill in 2023 banning state-licensed providers from practicing so-called conversion therapy on minors.
In 2024, she signed a bill outlawing the so-called “gay or trans panic” defense, which has been used by defense attorneys to mitigate charges against clients accused of committing violent crimes against trans or gay people.
In 2022, she also slammed her Republican gubernatorial opponent’s views on book banning, asking during a debate, “Do you really think books are more dangerous than guns?”
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