Michigan held their primary election on Tuesday. If you were perusing the election results online and looking to see who won the Republican nomination for Secretary of State, don't bother.It wasn't on the ballot because the GOP nominee for Michigan Secretary of State will be decided August 29 at the Republican party convention on the Michigan State University campus.
So why am I posting about this on a left of center trans blog? Keep reading.
One of the six GOP candidates vying for the Secretary of State position is a young 'African-American' half term state legislator named Paul Scott. He got my undivided attention by using transphobia to get a leg up in the crowded GOP field to replace current term limited Republican Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land.
Back in January Scott had this to say about what he would do if he was elected Michigan's Secretary of State:
I will make it a priority to ensure transgender individuals will not be allowed to change the sex on their driver’s license in any circumstance.
Did you see that, trans Michiganders? If Paul Scott becomes the nominee and beats Democratic nominee Jocelyn Benson on November 2, he will make it policy that you and future trans Michigan residents will not be allowed to change the gender codes on the drivers licenses you pay for.Jocelyn Benson is a Harvard Law School graduate who in 2004 helped develop a nationwide election protection program for the Democratic National Committee. In 2007, she worked to block closure of a Secretary of State branch office in Buena Vista Township. Prior to Harvard Law, Benson worked for the Southern Poverty Law Center investigating white supremacist organizations.
Damn, wish she was running in my state.
So y'all know what you need to do. If you are a transperson or a trans ally who lives in Michigan, you need to be doing whatever it takes to ensure that Jocelyn Benson is elected as Michigan's next Secretary of State.
