Beth Bashert

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Beth Bashert is a Michigan LGBTQ+ rights activist, politician, and former mayor of Ypsilanti, Michigan.

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Activism

Bashert was a founding member and the first president of Michigan Equality, now known as Equality Michigan. In her work with the group, she applied voter outreach techniques that she learned while volunteering for the pro-choice group NARAL. [1]

Bashert is a former board member of other LGBTQ+ organizations including Michigan Pride and the Jim Toy Community Center. [2] Papers related to Bashert's activist career are stored in the University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library. [3]

Political career

Bashert was the (unopposed) Democratic candidate for the Ward 2 position on the Ypsilanti city council in 2016. [4] After a brief stint on city council, she announced her candidacy for mayor of Ypsilanti in early 2018. [5] She won the five-way race for mayor of Ypsilanti in November 2018. [6]

Bashert resigned as mayor on June 23, 2020 after making a controversial comment about race during a city Zoom meeting that led to protests by city council and community members. [7]

References

  1. ↑ Amy L. Stone, "Gay Rights at the Ballot Box," Minneapolis MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2012, pp. 110, 210.
  2. ↑ "Ypsi Stories Episode 20: Fighting for LGBTQ Rights in Ypsilanti: A Double Retrospective". Ypsilanti District Library. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  3. ↑ "Beth Bashert Papers, 1988-2010". University of Michigan Library.
  4. ↑ "Our Local Candidates" (PDF). Washtenaw Matters. September 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  5. ↑ Haynes, Jessica (13 February 2018). "Ypsilanti council member Beth Bashert to run for mayor". mLive. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  6. ↑ "November 2018 Elections: Ypsilanti Election Results". WEMU News. 89.1 WEMU. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  7. ↑ Stitt, Chanel (June 23, 2020). "Mayor of Ypsilanti announces resignation after racist comments, protests". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
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