The following guest post was written by Jen Eyer, Vice President of Vanguard Public Affairs. Jen has spent many years in the world of journalism and most recently managed the newsroom for The Ann Arbor News, part of the MLive Media Group. You can read her full bio HERE. Enjoy. As Michiganders, we should all be concerned about the way […]

Yesterday, women from Eaton County held a press conference to highlight efforts by Republican Rep. Tom Barrett (MI-71) to deny women reproductive justice in their lives. In conjunction with the press conference, they released an issue guide (HERE) that details bills sponsored and supported by Barrett and two of his colleagues, John Bizon and Holly Hughes, that serve to impede […]

If you’re a politician commenting on the tragedy in Orlando, Florida where the lives of 49 people were extinguished by a madman with a semi-automatic weapon, do us all a favor and do NOT include the phrase “thoughts and prayers” or any iteration of it in your reaction. Thoughts and prayers are like a tissue paper vest when it comes […]

I am not a late sleeper and never have been as an adult. This Sunday morning woke at 4:30 a.m. and, sadly, it’s another morning filled with news of a new hate crime that is being called “domestic terrorism” by Orlando, Florida police. But it is clearly a stark and heartbreaking reminder that hatred is still very prevalent is America […]

Don’t worry, I’m not going to preach about uniting behind Hillary Clinton or tell you that we all need to come together and sing Kumbaya. I get it. I was #WithHer, but I have been there. I know how hard it is to lose a campaign. I know how heartbreaking it can be to put your hopes and dreams into […]

Why ‘Grace’ could do to Trump what ‘Stage’ did to Romney When Donald Trump was confronted with evidence that he lied about “thousands” of American Muslims celebrating 9/11, what did he do? At a campaign rally in November, he viciously mocked Serge Kovaleski — a disabled reporter who covered the aftermath the terror attack for the Washington Post — for […]

This afternoon, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, with no apparent sense of irony or sarcasm, sent out an email titled “An historic night for Michigan”. He was referring to the previous evening when Republicans passed “bailout” legislation for Detroit Public Schools that has inadequate funding for DPS, harms children by putting unqualified, uncertified teachers in their classrooms (illegal in every other […]

However you might define him, this man is who he is. This is part of a story series about the lives of transgender people. Read the introduction here. Codie Stone isn’t big on labels. He accepts them as a fact of life in our society. But for Stone, what matters most is living his life authentically. He just wants to […]

SILENCED! Back in 2012 when Republican Jase Bolger was still the Michigan House Speaker, his colleagues began passing bill after bill with “immediate effect”. Immediate effect allows a bill to became law as soon as the governor signs it rather than having to wait the statuatory 90 days. However, in order to pass a bill with immediate effect, there must […]

Tickets for the 11th Annual Health Care Heroes Celebration on June 17 available now! Even those of us who applaud the gains made under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) agree: there’s a lot more work to be done. And MichUHCAN is one of the state organizations that’s critical to keeping the promise of health reform moving forward. Michigan Universal Health […]

On May 21st of this year, I was elected to be the male delegate pledged to Hillary Clinton for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District. To say I’m proud to be supporting the first woman to receive the Democratic Party’s nomination for president is a bit of an understatement. I’m proud of her and I’m proud of my Party for shattering historic […]