GOP proposes anti-trans legislation in Michigan: Every co-signers of the bill has received money from the DeVos family

On March 10th, GOP Senators in Michigan introduced legislation that is anti-trans. 

The proposed bill, Senate Bill 0218, was introduced by Michigan Senator Lana Theis and was sponsored by the following GOP Senators: Tom Barrett, Jim Runestad, Roger Victory, Jon Bumstead, John Bison, Kevin Daley, Rick Outman, Aric Nesbitt, Kimberly LaSata, Michael MacDonald, Dale Born and Curtis VanderWall.

The proposed anti-trans legislation would:

“Require that only biological males may compete for a position on and compete on a boys’ high school team in an interscholastic activity and only biological females may compete for a position on and compete on a girls’ high school team in an interscholastic activity; provide for. Amends 1979 PA 451 (MCL 380.1 – 380.1852) by adding sec. 1146a & repeals sec. 1289 of 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1289).”

These kinds of bills are being proposed all across the country at the state level and are being supported by three large historically anti-LGBTQ groups, the Family Policy Alliance, The Heritage Foundation, and Alliance Defending Freedom. According to a recent article from Political Research Associates:

Amid a spate of legislation in early 2021 targeting trans-affirming health care for youth and trans and gender nonconforming athletes, Ohio State Representative Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) announced this week that she had signed on to The Promise to America’s Children, a collaborative effort between the Family Policy Alliance, The Heritage Foundation, and Alliance Defending Freedom. The ten principles set forth a vision for childhood in which comprehensive sex education is banned in schools, teachers aren’t allowed to talk about LGBT people, students can openly discriminate against their LGBT classmates and teachers, parents are encouraged to submit their LGBT children to unethical conversion therapy and schools are powerless to protect them, trans student athletes are prohibited from playing sports, trans children are unable to access life-saving trans-affirming care, child-welfare organizations are encouraged to discriminate against LGBT prospective parents, and schools are forced to out LGBT students to their parents, regardless of safety considerations. 

In addition to the national anti-LGBTQ groups that are pushing this type of legislation across the country, all of the sponsors of Senate Bill 0218 have also received substantial campaign contributions over the years from the DeVos family. As we have reported in the past, the DeVos family has consistently financed candidates that take an anti-LGBTQ stance, anti-union, anti-transparency and pro-Neoliberal economic policies that almost always include austerity measures.

What follows are a list of the GOP sponsors of Senate Bill 0218 and how much money they have received directly from the DeVos family or from the House ($1,880,000) and Senate ($1,121,000) Republican Campaign Committees, to which the DeVos family is the number one contributor.

• Senator Lana Theis  DeVos family $12,000
• Senator Tom Barrett $30,000, plus Senate Republican Campaign Committee, $507,236 and House Republican Campaign Committee, $448,009
• Senator Jim Runestad DeVos family $12,000, plus Senate Republican Campaign Committee, $535,495 
• Senator  Roger Victory  DeVos family $2,500
• Senator Jon Bumstead  Senate Republican campaign Committee, $483,856
• Senator John Bison  DeVos family $30,000, plus House Republican Campaign Committee, $345,974
• Senator Kevin Daley DeVos family $10,000, plus Senate Republican Campaign Committee, $190,883
• Senator Rick Outman  House Republican Campaign Committee, $168,783
• Senator Aric Nesbitt  DeVos family $4,500, plus House Republican Campaign Committee, $12,000
• Senator Kimberly LaSata  DeVos family $12,000
• Senator Michael MacDonald  DeVos family $10,000, plus Senate Republican Campaign Committee, $648,090 
• Senator Dale Zorn Senate Republican Campaign Committee, $504,975 
• Senator Curtis VanderWall  DeVos family $9,000, plus  House Republican Campaign Committee, $83,825