Opinion: Gay rights slip in Maine, advance in Kalamazoo

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Gay rights advocates may be saddened about the election results in Maine, where voters overturned a law allowing same-sex marriage. But they are cheered by the action of voters in Michigan, specifically Kalamazoo.

An ordinance that grants anti-discrimination protections to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals was overwhelmingly approved Tuesday. As the Kalamazoo Gazette reports, “The ordinance passed 7,671 to 4,731, making Kalamazoo the 16th city in Michigan to adopt such a gay-rights ordinance that grants the protections in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations.”

This all prompted a comment by Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. “In Kalamazoo, Mich., fairness prevailed,” Barrios said in a statement. “Voters sent a message that all hardworking people should be treated fairly and have the chance to earn a living and provide for themselves and their families without fear of being fired for reasons that have nothing to do with their job performance.” (Barrios also noted that, in early results, a majority of voters in Washington state were supporting a law that expands the state’s domestic partnership law.)

For those of a certain age, Kalamazoo is associated with the song “I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo,” which gave us the immortal phrase “a real pipperoo.” Perhaps a younger generation will associate the city with gay rights instead.

-- Steve Padilla

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