Kalamazoo County, MI adds gender identity and sexual orientation to nondiscrimination policy

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Another midwest victory!

A county in southwestern Michigan, Kalamazoo County (pop. 238'000), has added gender identity and sexual orientation to its nondiscrimination list. After over two years of difficult work, the change has come not a moment too soon for county workers and officials who supported the proposal.

"I'm so stunned it happened. I'm so happy," said Karen Pease, a county worker who vied for the change in 2004 when it was first proposed. "I'm really proud to work for the county. I wasn't before."

Kalamazoo County joins hundreds of counties nationwide to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Read the full story in the Kalamazoo Gazette.

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2 Republicans Targeted by Right to Oppose Civil Rights Measure

#53 On Sun, 08/27/2006 10:38am lorisir said,

I'm glad that Kalamazoo County public officials didn't cave to the scare tactics described in this article:

Family-rights group phones thousands on gender-identity vote

"Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Brink and Joe VanBruggen, the only two Republicans who voted in favor of the proposal that passed 9-8 on Tuesday, were singled out by the American Family Association of Michigan because they were considered swing votes, said Gary Glenn, the group's president.

"The American Family Association of Michigan sent recorded messages to 5,200 households of registered voters.... Brink called it a 'scare tactic' and said only 35 to 40 people left messages on his answering machine Tuesday and Wednesday after he already had cast his vote."

Additionally....

"Another 1,000 calls were made in Galesburg, which is in VanBruggen's district, Glenn said.

"VanBruggen said he only received about 20 phone calls.

"'Most of them were outside my own district,' Brink said. Some were 'derogatory,' he said, but about half of the messages left were positive or supportive."

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