John Mathias Engler is an American politician,lawyer,businessman,and lobbyist who served as the 46th governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003. Considered one of the country's top lobbyists,he is a member of the Republican Party.
Lou Anna Kimsey Simon is an American academic administrator who served as the 20th president of Michigan State University (MSU). Simon was appointed interim president of the university in 2003,then served as president from 2005 until her resignation in 2018.
Jacob "Jack" Hoogendyk is an American businessman and Republican politician,a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives and 2012 candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Michigan.
Gretchen Esther Whitmer is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party,she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 and in the Michigan Senate from 2006 to 2015.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Michigan enjoy the same rights as non-LGBT people. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Michigan under the US Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas,although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy law. Same-sex marriage is legal. Discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity is unlawful since July 2022,was re-affirmed by the Michigan Supreme Court - under and by a 1976 statewide law,that explicitly bans discrimination "on the basis of sex". The Michigan Civil Rights Commission have also ensured that members of the LGBT community are not discriminated against and are protected in the eyes of the law since 2018 and also legally upheld by the Michigan Supreme Court in 2022. In March 2023,a bill passed the Michigan Legislature by a majority vote - to formally codify both "sexual orientation and gender identity" anti-discrimination protections embedded within Michigan legislation. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the bill on March 16,2023. In 2024,Michigan repealed “the last ban on commercial surrogacy within the US”- for individuals and couples and reformed the parentage laws,that acknowledges same sex couples and their families with children.
Tonya Schuitmaker is an American politician. She is a member of the Republican party who represented the 26th district of the Michigan Senate from 2011 to 2018. She was the President Pro Tempore of the Senate for the duration of her term in office.
James "Jase" Bolger served as the 71st Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives from January 12,2011 to the end of 2014 session. Bolger is a member of the Republican Party,and represented Michigan's 63rd house district from 2009 to 2014. After being term limited out,he founded a consulting firm,Tusker Strategies. Bolger was also appointed by former Governor Rick Snyder on December 29,2016 to the Michigan Civil Service Commission and was elected chair on April 27,2023.
Rosemarie Elizabeth Aquilina is an American judge. She is a judge of the 30th circuit court in Ingham County,Michigan. Previously,Aquilina was the 55th District Court Judge,where she served as both a Sobriety Court Judge as well as the Chief Judge. She is best known as the judge who sentenced Larry Nassar in the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal.
Sean Andrew McCann is the senator for the Michigan Senate's 19th district. He formerly represented the 20th senate district. He is a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives,who represented the 60th district. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Thomas L. Leonard III is an American attorney and politician. He is a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives who served as Speaker of the House from 2017 to 2019. Elected in 2012 to succeed term-limited Paul Opsommer,Leonard represented the residents of Clinton and Gratiot County. Prior to that,he worked as a prosecutor. Leonard unsuccessfully ran for Michigan Attorney General in 2018 and was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan.
Lorence R. Wenke is an American politician from the state of Michigan. He is a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives.
The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA),or Public Act 453 of 1976,which went into effect in 1977,originally prohibited discrimination in Michigan only on the basis of "religion,race,color,national origin,age,sex,height,weight,familial status,or marital status" in employment,housing,education,and access to public accommodations. A ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court on July 28,2022 expanded the scope of the law to explicitly include protections for LGBT people. Sexual orientation and gender identity were both formally codified and added to Michigan legislation officially on March 16,2023 and became Act 6 of 2023. Other classes added to the law since passage include pregnant workers,workers who seek abortions,and hair style and texture.
Lee Roberson Chatfield is an American politician and a Republican former member of the Michigan House of Representatives. He was first elected from the 107th House district in 2015. He was speaker pro tempore from 2017 to 2019,and speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021.
The USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal relates to the sexual abuse of hundreds of gymnasts—primarily minors—over two decades in the United States,starting in the 1990s. It is considered the largest sexual abuse scandal in sports history.
Lawrence Gerard Nassar is a former American physiatrist. For 18 years,he was the team doctor of the United States women's national gymnastics team,where he used his position to exploit and sexually assault hundreds of young athletes.
Rachael Joy Denhollander is an American lawyer and former gymnast. She was the first woman to publicly accuse Larry Nassar,the former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor,of sexual assault. Denhollander is 2018 Glamour Woman of the Year and was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018. She is the recipient of the 2021 Abraham Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life.
Lana Theis is an American politician from Michigan. A member of the Republican Party,she has represented the 22nd district of the Michigan Senate since 2019. Theis was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019.
John Edward James is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 10th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party,he was its nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020.
Dana Michelle Nessel is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 54th Attorney General of Michigan since January 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
The 102nd Michigan Legislature,consisting of the Michigan Senate and the Michigan House of Representatives,began its first session on January 1,2023,which ended on November 14,2023. A second session is set to begin on January 1,2024.
