In light of the recent national election, the stakes for trans rights and LGBTQ+ equality have never been higher. At OutCenter Southwest Michigan, we are unwavering in our commitment to protecting your dignity, rights, and ability to live authentically.

We want to share two resources that are specifically about helping organizations and individuals maintain safe and welcoming environments.

Moody on the Market has announced its prestigious "40 Under 40" list for the 2024 year. Three OutCenter leaders — Gerik Maverick, OutCenter’s program director, and board members Briana Salis and Tim Dawson — were recognized on this list.

It is almost impossible to watch the news or scroll through social media without seeing discussion of people’s pronouns. The conversations range from LGBTQ+ community members explaining their experiences to anti LGBTQ+ political figures like Texas Senator Ted Cruz proclaiming that their pronouns are “kiss my ass”. So what are pronouns and why do they matter?

OutCenter Southwest Michigan is overjoyed by the Michigan Supreme Court’s landmark decision in the Rouch World v. Michigan Department of Civil Rights case. In a 5-2 decision the court held that the existing Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act applies to LGBTQ+ people. This new ruling upholds protection of LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, and public accommodations which includes businesses. It cannot be overstated just how impactful this decision is for equity in our state and here in Southwest Michigan.

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, we began our harrowing journey towards getting reproductive rights added to our state constitution in Michigan. The organizers in our State led the most effective campaign to protect these rights in the nation, the results of which were incredible. Our efforts to ensure that reproductive rights make it on the November ballots were successful, thanks to all the hard work that Michiganders put in canvassing and signature collecting. This ballot initiative made history, with 753,759 signatures spanning across every single county in Michigan! We hit the goal necessary to get the issue on the ballot, as well as a generous amount of signatures to act as a buffer in the case of any invalid signatures. This measure will be on your ballot in November, thanks to all of your hard work.

Michigan Senator Mallory McMorrow delivered a passionate speech on April 19th addressing the recent political attacks she has faced by opponents of LGBTQ+ rights. In a fundraising email, a fellow Michigan senator claimed that McMorrow is grooming and sexualizing children by defending the LGBTQ+ community. Other comments accused McMorrow of supporting pedophilia and wanting white children to feel responsible for slavery. In response, Senator McMorrow said “I sat on it for awhile wondering why me, and then I realized, because I am the biggest threat to your hollow, hateful scheme. Because you can’t claim that you are targeting marginalized kids in the name of “parental rights” if another parent is standing up to say no.”

Last week Governor Whitmer filed a historic lawsuit with the Michigan State Supreme Court. As the U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to dismantle the protections afforded by Roe v. Wade, Governor Whitmer is taking action to protect the right of Michiganders to reproductive healthcare and abortion. She is asking the State Supreme Court to overturn Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban, a law which would go back into effect if Roe were to be overturned, and recognize reproductive healthcare as a human right in the state constitution.

On Monday Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis signed the controversial “Parental Rights in Education” bill, known to many as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The vague bill provides a wide net for anti-LGBTQ+ action within Florida schools, saying “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

OutCenter stands for trans people’s rights — and that includes their right to be referred to by their pronouns in Michigan’s courts.

In December, a Michigan Court of Appeals judge wrote that he objected to other judges referring to a defendant in accordance with their gender pronouns.