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WATCH: Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow calls out GOP attacks on LGBTQ+ people

“Christianity has been weaponized by Republicans to make people hate gay and trans kids,” McMorrow told the Blade.

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4 years ago

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Screenshot/Twitter McMorrow

Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, accused by a Republican colleague of wanting to “groom and sexualize kindergarteners” because of her advocacy for LGBTQ youth in schools, denounced the allegations in a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday that has since gone viral.

In an exclusive interview Wednesday with The Los Angeles Blade, McMorrow said it is everyone’s responsibility to stand up to these types of attacks, which have been on the rise among Republican lawmakers who have sought to scapegoat vulnerable groups and weaponize hatred for their own political ends.

These tactics, often used to compensate for the GOP’s lack of any real policy solutions to offer voters, have been effective in the past – and there is therefore a moral as well as a political obligation to address them “head-on,” McMorrow said.

“We’ve seen this playbook time and time again,” she said, pointing to former president Donald Trump’s incitement of hatred against Mexican immigrants in his announcement of his candidacy in 2015. And “when I spoke to voters [in Michigan] about their number one concerns, so many people talked about immigration and caravans coming from the southern border” even though the state borders Canada, McMorrow said.

Confronted with allegations by Republicans that they are pedophiles, or that their support of LGBTQ youth is an endorsement of pedophilia, Democrats may be reluctant to engage either because the claims are so outrageous or because they detract from real, substantive policy discussions, McMorrow said. But Democrats must address these attacks, she said, to denounce them and to make clear that they are meant to deflect the conversation away from issues that really impact people’s lives.

Michigan’s Republican Senator Lana Theis leveled the pedophilia charge against McMorrow in a fundraising email that also – based on her support for curricula that addresses America’s record on race – accused McMorrow of wanting to teach schoolchildren that they bore responsibility for slavery.

In her speech before the Michigan Senate, which was viewed more than 8 million times on Twitter and shared by public figures including Hillary Clinton, McMorrow discussed her position as “a straight, white, Christian, married, suburban mom” in denouncing her colleague’s unfounded, bad-faith allegations.

“I know that hate will only win if people like me stand by and let it happen,” she said. “And I want to be very clear right now: Call me whatever you want. I know who I am. I know what faith and service mean, and what it calls for in this moment. We will not let hate win.”

She told the Blade that she hopes other women in her position will use their privilege to speak out against hate and reclaim the mantle of faith that has been coopted by those who seek to marginalize others. “Christianity has been weaponized by Republicans to make people hate gay and trans kids,” McMorrow said. “They’re targeting kids, and that is so beyond the pale.”

McMorrow said she will leave it up to her Senate colleagues to decide if formal action should be taken with respect to Theis – who, she noted, faces a Republican primary challenge and may have resorted to extreme rhetoric for this reason. McMorrow said that while some former GOP officials and staffers have pledged their support for her, none of her colleagues on the other side of the aisle have addressed the issue, not even privately.

Theis, for her part, addressed the matter in a tweet in which she accused McMorrow of capitalizing on the controversy to fundraise.

Despite the certainty of a veto from Michigan’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the state’s overwhelmingly Republican legislature has introduced several bills targeting trans youth, including measures to ban their participation in sports, McMorrow said.

Republican legislatures across the country are considering or have passed anti-LGBTQ legislation aimed at young people in public schools, with controversies erupting in recent months over Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits any discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels, potentially criminalizing a teacher’s mention of her same-sex partner. Texas’s pursuit of “child abuse” charges against parents and providers who allow trans youth to access gender-affirming health care also made headlines earlier this year.

Just as McMorrow experienced, proponents of these bills, and Republican lawmakers more broadly, have sometimes resorted to the shameful tactic of slandering their opponents – Democrats, LGBTQ people and their allies – as pedophiles or enablers of child abuse.

Governor Ron DeSantis’s spokesperson tweeted in March that opponents of the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill are “groomers” or people who “don’t denounce the grooming of 4-8 year old children.”

The charge echoes Anita Bryant’s “Save the Children” campaign in the 1970s, through which she argued against protections for gay men and lesbians on the grounds that they sought to recruit and abuse children. More recent roots can be found in the rise of the right-wing QAnon conspiracy theory, which inspired a gunman to fire shots in a DC pizzeria in 2016, convinced that Democrats were abusing kids in its basement. Last month, during her confirmation hearings, Republican Senators accused Biden’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, of being soft on child abuse – despite her objectively mainstream sentencing record.

Following her viral speech on the Michigan Senate floor, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow says our obligation to speak up against hate is moral as well as political

There is a very real risk that unfounded allegations and conspiracy theories concerning pedophilia and child abuse can inspire real violence, McMorrow said, adding that she has received concerned messages from friends who feared she might be targeted over the attacks in Theis’s fundraising email. “It’s a very real threat,” she said.

While it was painful to read that email and unsettling to think about what its allegations could inspire, McMorrow emphasized that the pain with which marginalized people, her LGBTQ friends and colleagues – and LGBTQ youth, in particular – must live, every day, is far greater. 

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Michigan

FBI thwarts Halloween terror plot targeting Mich. LGBTQ bars

Two suspects arrested with arsenal of weapons and tactical gear

Published

4 days ago

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November 4, 2025

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Woodward Avenue in Ferndale, Mich. (Photo by Andrew Potter)

Pride Source published this story on Nov. 3. The Washington Blade is republishing it with permission.

By SARAH BRICKER HUNT | Two men are facing federal terrorism charges after allegedly planning a Halloween attack on LGBTQ+ bars in Ferndale, according to criminal complaints unsealed in federal court Nov. 3.

Momed Ali and Majed Mahmoud were arrested Oct. 31 by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, which seized tactical gear, AR-15-style rifles, ammunition and other evidence from a Dearborn home and an Inkster storage unit. The 72-page complaint says the men, along with other co-conspirators including a minor, were inspired by Islamic State extremism and had scouted LGBTQ+ venues in Ferndale.

According to the New York Post, the suspects discussed copying the November 2015 coordinated ISIS attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Surveillance footage from gun ranges shows Ali and Mahmoud practicing shooting with firearms, the Post reports.

The Paris attacks involved gunmen and suicide bombers who launched coordinated assaults on multiple locations throughout the French capital, including the Bataclan concert hall, the Stade de France stadium and several restaurants and cafes. The Bataclan attack was the deadliest, with attackers opening fire on concertgoers and taking hostages.

Multiple media outlets are reporting that the suspects discussed doing “the same thing as France” in reference to the Paris attacks, and mentioned potential attacks at clubs or discos similar to the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando that killed 49 people. Investigators discovered the suspects repeatedly referred to “pumpkins” in their conversations, which authorities identified as code for a Halloween-themed attack.

Ali purchased a shotgun, an AR-15-style rifle and a forced reset trigger that increases the rate of fire in semiautomatic weapons, according to federal documents. Mahmoud purchased an AR-15-style rifle and more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition.

In September, Ali, Mahmoud and the minor made multiple trips to Ferndale, traveling to an area on Woodward Avenue near East Nine Mile that includes numerous clubs and bars that attract members of the LGBTQ+ community, according to the FBI.

“Our American heroes prevented a terror attack,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X following the arrests.

Both men have been charged with receiving and transferring guns and ammunition for terrorism and appeared in court Nov. 3. One defense attorney declined to comment, while another dismissed the allegations over the weekend as “hysteria” and “fearmongering.”

Popular Ferndale LGBTQ+ bar Soho posted to Facebook following news of the arrests.

“Soho is aware of recent reports concerning a potential threat directed toward businesses in our area. While it appears we were not targeted directly, we commend and deeply appreciate the swift and thorough response of local and federal law enforcement agencies in addressing the matter and ensuring the safety of our community,” the statement read.

The bar emphasized its confidence in local law enforcement. “We have always felt safe in the Ferndale community thanks to our close relationship with local law enforcement and their ongoing diligence and support.”

Soho’s statement also condemned targeting the LGBTQ+ community: “It is abhorrent that the LGBTQ+ community would ever be targeted — a community that stands for tolerance, unity, and peace.”

The bar confirmed its operations continue as normal and expressed gratitude for community support.

Meanwhile, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter posted to Facebook, “Learning that Ferndale and the LGBTQ+ community were among the potential targets of a terrorist attack is disturbing. The pain of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy in Orlando nine years ago while I was serving as mayor of Ferndale is still deeply felt in the community. I’m grateful for the FBI, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement for their diligence in seeking out and preventing what could have been another mass tragedy.”

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Michigan

Mich. lawmaker introduces resolution asking SCOTUS to overturn Obergefell

Far-right lawmaker stripped from committee assignments for extreme rhetoric

Published

9 months ago

on

February 25, 2025

By

marriage equality, Supreme Court, gay news, Washington Blade
Vin Testa in front of the U.S. Supreme Court waves a Pride flag after the justices issued their Obergefell v. Hodges decision on June 26, 2015. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Republican Michigan state Rep. Josh Schriver introduced a resolution Tuesday asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, which established the nationwide right to same-sex marriage.

The lawmaker announced the move in a post on X, having previously shared a press release announcing plans to file the resolution, which argues that same-sex marriage is “at odds with the sanctity of marriage, the Michigan constitution, and principles upon which the country was established.”

Schriver’s resolution has 12 co-sponsors, and similar measures have been introduced in other states including Idaho, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Responding to one of his posts advocating for the overturning of Obergefell in December, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said “any attempt to strip away gay marriage is wrong.”

Last month, the far-right politician was heard telling colleagues in leaked audio that gender affirming healthcare should be banned for minors as well as adults: “If we are going to stop this for anyone under 18, why not apply it for anyone over 18? It’s harmful across the board and that’s something we need to take into consideration in terms of the endgame.”

Earlier this month, he proposed banning birth control and reposted a message promoting the white nationalist Great Replacement conspiracy theory, the latter leading to Michigan House Minority Leader Matt Hall’s (R) decision to remove Schriver from his committee assignments.

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Michigan

Mich. Democrats spar over LGBTQ-inclusive hate crimes law

Lawmakers disagree on just what kind of statute to pass

Published

2 years ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

Members of the Michigan House Democrats gather to celebrate Pride month in 2023 in the Capitol building. (Photo courtesy of Michigan House Democrats)

Michigan could soon become the latest state to pass an LGBTQ-inclusive hate crime law, but the state’s Democratic lawmakers disagree on just what kind of law they should pass.

Currently, Michigan’s Ethnic Intimidation Act only offers limited protections to victims of crime motivated by their “race, color, religion, gender, or national origin.” Bills proposed by Democratic lawmakers expand the list to include “actual or perceived race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, physical or mental disability, age, national origin, or association or affiliation with any such individuals.” 

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel have both advocated for a hate crime law, but house and senate Democrats have each passed different hate crimes packages, and Nessel has blasted both as being too weak.

Under the house proposal that passed last year (House Bill 4474), a first offense would be punishable with a $2,000 fine, up to two years in prison, or both. Penalties double for a second offense, and if a gun or other dangerous weapons is involved, the maximum penalty is six years in prison and a fine of $7,500. 

But that proposal stalled when it reached the senate, after far-right news outlets and Fox News reported misinformation that the bill only protected LGBTQ people and would make misgendering a trans person a crime. State Rep. Noah Arbit, the bill’s sponsor, was also made the subject of a recall effort, which ultimately failed.

Arbit submitted a new version of the bill (House Bill 5288) that added sections clarifying that misgendering a person, “intentionally or unintentionally” is not a hate crime, although the latest version (House Bill 5400) of the bill omits this language.

That bill has since stalled in a house committee, in part because the Democrats lost their house majority last November, when two Democratic representatives resigned after being elected mayors. The Democrats regained their house majority last night by winning two special elections.

Meanwhile, the senate passed a different package of hate crime bills sponsored by state Sen. Sylvia Santana (Senate Bill 600) in March that includes much lighter sentences, as well as a clause ensuring that misgendering a person is not a hate crime. 

Under the senate bill, if the first offense is only a threat, it would be a misdemeanor punishable by one year in prison and up to $1,000 fine. A subsequent offense or first violent hate crime, including stalking, would be a felony that attracts double the punishment.

Multiple calls and emails from the Washington Blade to both Arbit and Santana requesting comment on the bills for this story went unanswered.

The attorney general’s office sent a statement to the Blade supporting stronger hate crime legislation.

“As a career prosecutor, [Nessel] has seen firsthand how the state’s weak Ethnic Intimidation Act (not updated since the late 1980’s) does not allow for meaningful law enforcement and court intervention before threats become violent and deadly, nor does it consider significant bases for bias.  It is our hope that the legislature will pass robust, much-needed updates to this statute,” the statement says.

But Nessel, who has herself been the victim of racially motivated threats, has also blasted all of the bills presented by Democrats as not going far enough.

“Two years is nothing … Why not just give them a parking ticket?” Nessel told Bridge Michigan.

Nessel blames a bizarre alliance far-right and far-left forces that have doomed tougher laws.

“You have this confluence of forces on the far right … this insistence that the First Amendment protects this language, or that the Second Amendment protects the ability to possess firearms under almost any and all circumstances,” Nessel said. “But then you also have the far left that argues basically no one should go to jail or prison for any offense ever.”

The legislature did manage to pass an “institutional desecration” law last year that penalizes hate-motivated vandalism to churches, schools, museums, and community centers, and is LGBTQ-inclusive.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Justice, reported hate crime incidents have been skyrocketing, with attacks motivated by sexual orientation surging by 70 percent from 2020 to 2022, the last year for which data is available. 

Twenty-two states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have passed LGBTQ-inclusive hate crime laws. Another 11 states have hate crime laws that include protections for “sexual orientation” but not “gender identity.”

Michigan Democrats have advanced several key LGBTQ rights priorities since they took unified control of the legislature in 2023. A long-stalled comprehensive anti-discrimination law was passed last year, as did a conversion therapy ban. Last month the legislature updated family law to make surrogacy easier for all couples, including same-sex couples. 

A bill to ban the “gay panic” defense has passed the state house and was due for a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday.

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