Unity Fund Established to Support LGBT Candidates in Michigan
Ferndale, MI – “Every June, I have seen more and more Pride flags on houses in my neighborhood. It is an encouraging sign, but more needs to be done outside our bubble. This is why it is crucial to continue raising up political candidates that will fight on our behalf,” said Madison Heights resident Joshua Gartner who is on the Steering Committee for the newly-created Unity Fund, a Political Action Committee dedicated to supporting LGBT candidates in Michigan.
The Fund was founded by Ferndale resident Oscar Renautt and a committee of nine others who are working to identify LGBT candidates, raise money to support their campaigns, and do the research necessary to make educated endorsements.
Renautt says he’s been inspired living in a community with a history of LGBT leaders such as the current County Executive Dave Coulter who formerly served as County Commissioner and Mayor, former Mayor and County Commissioner Craig Covey, Councilperson Greg Pawlica, State Senator Jeremy Moss and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Ferndale was at the forefront of passing a human rights ordinance, flying the rainbow flag, having LGBT-owned businesses, being home to Affirmations Community Center, and annual Ferndale Pride festival just to name a few examples.
But beyond Ferndale, LGBT officials are few and far between. “We need to elect officials to amplify our voices in the city and county chambers, in the House and Senate. We need to continue a dialog in our society. The topics of equality and inclusion are extremely uncomfortable for some. Some candidates and elected officials may not be ready to support LGBTQ community and LGBTQ rights formally and openly since it could be uncomfortable and controversial for their constituencies. That is why we need to support the candidates who are willing and ready to raise their hand and speak about inequality. We need elected leaders to stand against discrimination, confront bigotry, and cast their vote in favor of policies that focus on human rights,” Renautt said.
For Garter, it’s about not having issues of equality get lost in the myriad of conversations in communities, in Lansing, and in DC. “Now more than ever we have seen a society absolutely splintered. It has become as basic as ‘mask vs. no mask’, ‘shelter in place vs. I want a haircut’, and ‘Black Lives Matter vs. Blue Lives Matter’. For the LGBT community today, it seems that for every step forward we have taken lately, we have also taken a step back. As we had the landmark Supreme Court decision to federally make it against the law to fire someone simply for being gay, we also had the executive order reversing protections that prohibit discrimination in health care based on gender identity. It is more important now than ever that we have a voice in politics, not only to keep pushing for equality, but also to protect the few rights we do have.”
The PAC is nonpartisan, though candidates thus far lean left. “We hope that one day we will support candidates from all parties, as we want to be inclusive and demonstrate that human rights issues are bipartisan issues,” Renautt said.
The idea of a PAC is simple. “We should pool our resources and make financial contributions to our candidates’ campaigns,” Renautt said. “Unity Fund can formally endorse political candidates and make financial contributions while in compliance with Michigan election laws. Campaign contributions are a strong way to support our cause – our hard-earned cash will help our candidates to purchase advertising and campaign material. By helping our candidates reduce the amount of time they must fundraise, we are helping them to spend their time on running successful campaigns; reaching out to the community to get their message and platforms out.
“We are registered with the State of Michigan and can support and endorse candidates statewide. However, as we are in our early stages, our main focus is on the Detroit tri-county area, as this is where our network is currently the strongest.”
Thus far candidates supported by the PAC are: Kevin Kresch who is running for State Rep in the 27th District, Cynthia Thornton who is running for State Rep in the 7th District, Jody LaMacchia who is running for State Rep in the 46th District. as well as Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter. For more information about the Unity Fund, visit www.UnityFundMI.com.