Politics & Government

First-time Delegate Among Eight Gay Michiganians at Democratic Convention

Jan Stevenson looks forward to attending caucuses and other events with her partner Susan Horowitz.

Farmington Hills resident Jan Stevenson isn't sure what to expect when she heads off to Charlotte, NC Sept. 3 for the Democratic National Convention. 

"But it looks like a lot of fun," said Stevenson, who with her partner Susan Horowitz will be among the largest contingent of openly gay delegates Michigan Democrats have ever sent to the nominating convention. 

Both have been very active in the state party, Stevenson said. Their Between the Lines newspaper, which serves the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi and transgender) community, does a voters' guide every other year that reaches up to 100,000 people. 

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"We try to find Republicans that we can endorse, but it's gotten harder and harder as the party has moved farther to the right," she said, noting the new Republican platform, announced this week, "couldn't be more stark between the two parties."

For instance, while the Democratic Party platform supports gay marriage, the Republican platform calls for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman, Stevenson said. The Washington Times reported Tuesday that "veteran platform writers" called the GOP's 2012 platform the most conservative in history.

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"It's sort of like a no-brainer," she said. "Any gay person who doesn't support the Democrats, I don't know what they're thinking."

During the week-long convention Stevenson and Horowitz will attend caucuses on various issues and work with the Michigan delegation to strategize for the fall elections. Stevenson said her sense is that Michigan progressives "are extremely motivated. They're concerned about what's happening in Michigan, since all three branches of government are dominated by Republicans."

Stevenson said the LGBT community is particularly concerned about the Michigan Supreme Court race, after a 2008 high court ruling that Michigan's ban on gay marriage barred government from extending benefits to employees' same sex partners. 

The convention is serious business; delegates are required to be at a 7 a.m. breakfast meeting with party leaders every morning during the convention. But there's also a social side, with events hosted by organizations representing the LGBT community, women's rights, unions and other causes.

"We've gotten invitations to lots and lots of receptions," Stevenson said. "We've been told we don't have to buy food." 

Also on the lighter side, Stevenson plans to participate in the long-standing tradition of delegates wearing crazy hats on the convention floor. 

"I have a lot of them," she said, "so I have a lot to pick from." 


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