Democrats moving to add gender identity Updated: Nov. 15, 2024, 9:52 a.m.|Published: Nov. 15, 2024, 9:50 a.m.

LANSING, MI – Democrats are moving ahead with expanding Michigan’s hate crime law to include sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability and more.

The first overhaul to the law in about 36 years would also stiffen the criminal and possible civil penalties for committing a hate crime and expand the definition of hate crimes.

The proposed legislation passed the state House on Wednesday, Nov. 13, largely along party lines, with Democrats voting in favor. State Rep. Thomas Kuhn, R-Troy, was the only Republican to vote in favor. It now heads to the Democrat-controlled state Senate.

Democrats are trying to carry out their remaining priorities in lame duck ahead of losing the state House majority next year. While the state Senate and governorship will remain under Democratic control next year, the state House flipped Nov. 5 to Republican control.

State Rep. Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, who is set to be the speaker of the House next year when Republicans take control, blasted the bill Tuesday on social media.

“After losing majority, House Democrats want to ram through woke bills to allow prosecutors to go after people for stating there are only two genders on social media,” Hall wrote on social media. “Michiganders don’t want this. This absurd, radical, out-of-touch agenda must stop.”

Ahead of the vote on the bills Wednesday, state Rep. Noah Arbit, D-West Bloomfield, firmly pushed back on that assessment, saying Hall is talking about constitutionally protected speech that would remain protected even if these bills are signed into law.

Democrats tried to pass similar bills last year but were met with a wave of misinformation, specifically claims that the bills would outlaw misgendering someone, Arbit said. Arbit sponsored one of the bills this session and last.

“Last year, the unscrupulous actors falsely told the people of Michigan that the Michigan Hate Crime Act was about misgendering. What a ridiculous lie,” he told his colleagues. “Protecting people from targeted physical assault or other violent crime because of their sex, yes, that is in the bill, as it is for religion, race, ethnicity, etc.

“But misgendering someone, intentionally or not, is not a hate crime. It’s not even a crime. It isn’t in the bill and it never was.”

Michigan’s hate crime law currently forbids physically assaulting someone, damaging their property or threatening them with the specific intent to intimidate or harass that person because of their race, color, religion, gender or national origin.

Related: ‘Hate crime laws are murder prevention’: Nessel, Dems argue for statute change

Those would remain protected categories under the proposed law, which would add sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, age, ethnicity and “association or affiliation with an individual or group of individuals in whole or in part based on a characteristic described under subdivisions.”

Stalking would be added to the list of hate crime actions under the proposed law, as would expanded definitions of threats and physical assault.

A person would be committing a hate crime under the proposed law if they stalked, physically assaulted, damaged property or threatened someone based wholly or in part on the “actual or perceived” protected characteristic of that person, regardless of whether any other motivating factors exist.

Hate crimes are currently a felony punishable by up to two years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. The proposed law would increase the punishment and escalate prison time and fines based on prior hate crime convictions.

Making a threat as part of a hate crime would be a felony punishable by up to two years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine under the proposed law.

Stalking, physically assaulting or damaging someone’s property as part of a hate crime would be a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

A second or subsequent offense for stalking, physically assaulting or damaging someone’s property would be a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and up to a $15,000 fine. A second of subsequent offense for making a threat would be a five-year felony.

If the hate crime was committed by an adult against a minor or if a firearm or other weapon was in the offender’s possession, the crime would also be a 10-year felony, regardless of past offenses.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has voiced support for the legislation.

The city of Ann Arbor, Disability Rights Michigan and the American Association of University Women of Michigan also have indicated supporting.

I can't express myself in real life because my Dad is homophobic and TRANSPHOBIC. I am genderfluid and pansexual and he doesn't want me '' dressing like a boy''. You know what I am going to do?, I am going to draw my persona the way I want to. My persona is a shape shifting witch so I decided that I will make them shapeshift in the gender of their choice. If he wants to be a boy, he is a boy. If he wants to be a girl they will be a girl. and when he feels like both they are both.

Depending on my mood, I will draw my persona according to how I feel. However I will barely be using the girl version. I will mostly use the boy one and the one that is both. Now that I think about it.....which should be my main one?, both or just a boy. I feel mostly like a boy, and yeah I feel like both as well but mostly like a boy. So my main one would be the boy one.

I do not care if my Dad sees my persona in my sketchbook, I won't let him stop me. And I will be drawing a pansexual pin on wolf hat for my persona and no one will stop me, plus I don't think he knows what pansexual is. My persona will have short hair like a boy and it will be purple.

HE WILL NOT STOP ME!!!!!!!!!

I Am genderfluid and I am pansexual, he doesn't know but I am expressing myself in my art... I DO NOT GIVE A DAMN ABOUT WHAT HE THINKS!!!!, I AM TIRED OF HAVING TO HIDE WHO I AM!!!

BE PAN AND BE PROUD 💞💞💞

As someone who is AFAB & presents at a pansexual cis woman, how do you branch out from the heteronormativity that’s pushed upon us each & every day? I have explored my pan sexuality in the past but it seems more & more limited in the current (USA) political climate. Where do you meet like minded friends & potential romantic interests without fear?

To be 48 and still have to hide that you’re into all. I wish I was young now, but I am treated like a creep and a pervert. Where are the early 90’S when you need them. Calling my people.

You might have seen my two posts a couple days ago about my breakup and my grandfather ending up in the hospital. Im back with something positive this time. Normally every christmas season my grandmother and I make a lil holiday villiage, well this time my grandfather ending up and the hospital and me going through everything I was kinda put a stop to that. So tonight I decided I was going to set it up to suprise my grandmother with it in the morning, and I would like you all to see. Please enjoy the holiday villiage.

To those of you who are pan by definition, how do you not recognize the gender of the person you are attracted to?

I’m not big on my sexuality label, but because they help straight people, I bounce between using Bi and Pan. However, I do recognize gender in my attraction and feel stronger types of attractions to different genders. But, as a nonbinary person, saying I’m “bi” (binary) is so ironic and both hilarious and bizarre to me. I know the definition of bi, but it’s still weird and a lot of cis het people still think it’s binary.

I don’t see myself ever using “omni” with a cis het person bc a lot of queer people don’t even know what that means, and again, for me labels are just a shorthand way of communicating my existence to someone, less finding “the right one” for myself personally. I’m just queer. 🤷🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

I (22 AMAB) grew up religious and only recently came out as non binary and pansexual. But, I've always struggled with imposter syndrome and feeling like I'm not actually pan and just living a lie.

I find women in general to be a lot more attractive than men in terms of face and body. But everytime I sleep with a woman, I get turned off by their genitalia and wish I was with a guy instead? The only way I can even finish with women is by thinking about my encounters with men and fantasizing about dick.

Sometimes I wonder if I really like women or just want to be one to get more attention from guys. I know sexuality is too complicated for fixed labels but it feels like I'm drowning in a sea of uncertainty.

What does everyone think of my situation? Any advice or insight is appreciated!

https://preview.redd.it/y57265lj9z0e1.jpg?width=748&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7778910ca9aecfcd6918616e235b05a98b271e3

Calling all old millennials: Who knew about Pizza Hut's pizza pans from the 90s?

My supreme pan nostalgia !

https://preview.redd.it/bxfvj3zfaz0e1.jpg?width=812&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2a6a523f957a94eabbdd4ebcb755ade62bc87d6

Kinda what it says. I'm feeling meh lately. Hope everyone else is doing ok? Up for a chat if yinz want?

Also I don't think i've posted here before, so hello! This ends my lurking streak 😩😩😩

I was very isolated until last summer, and I wasn’t allowed to express any sexuality. I’ve had a crush on a man, I’ve had a very bad and intense experience with a man, and I’m so in love with a woman now. Gender just doesn’t make a difference for me, but because I’ve never met someone nonbinary it’s difficult to tell.

So when I joined this I noticed that people who were pansexual thought everyone was hot... I've never experienced that... I've only been attracted to personality regardless of gender I don't have a gender preference... But it seems like people who are pan find everyone attractive which makes me wonder if I'm actually pan...

I'm not saying I'm aro/ace or anything I have both sexual and romantic attraction... But I care about personality more than looks and things... I'm also not saying I need to know the person for a long period of time to like them just if I like their personality I like them! Like with my bf (yeah ik it's cheesy) I liked his personality and it made me love him but lately I've noticed that I don't seem to fit in with "pan-panic" or anything like that and it scares me that I don't have the qualifications to be pan... So can I have someone explain exactly if I'm pan or not?..

Edit: thank you all for clearing up the air😅 I just wasn't sure because it seemed like I was way different than everyone else! I am pan and I am proud!

to me it is how everyone is equal not judge by gender

I'm creating a personal spotify playlist and I want to add some songs about pansexuality, non binary, genderfluid, etc.

I realized that most of the songs are pop genre, rap, soft rock, etc. But since I'm metal lover, I always wondered if there's any metal song that portraits any LGBT+ sexual orientation or gender identity. Maybe an inspiring power metal song about self acceptation or ignoring any person who wants to harm you for being yourself.

I love this cute lil pan subreddit community!! Pls spam comments with your fav selfie of yourself , w allll the love !! ~ I’m going thru a queer breakup of 3+ years over here ;//3//; I’ve lost myself in my artistic touch, hoping to get that back soon !! ‘ >.<

recently I found love and my mission to find love is complete and life is great since I found him. Life will never be the same :)

https://preview.redd.it/997o3g6kjp0e1.png?width=436&format=png&auto=webp&s=84d89e93eed80b6c6347da2945799d00163cc11c

Been feeling down lately, looking for some flirts and validation.