Wendy Strout joins to discuss Human Rights Campaign endorsements for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Senate District 8 and what’s at stake for the LGBTQ+ community in both elections.
Then we discuss what a modern “company town” could look like… whether or not that’s what Elon Musk is building.
Check out this episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!
Human Rights Campaign Wisconsin State Director, Wendy Strout, joins to discuss what’s at stake for the LGBTQ+ community in this upcoming election.
Last week, the Human Rights Campaign PAC (HRC PAC) announced its endorsement of pro-equality candidates Judge Janet Protasiewicz for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Jodi Habush Sinykin for State Senate District 8 in the northern suburbs of Milwaukee. During the announcement, Wendy released the following statement:
“The Human Rights Campaign is proud to endorse Judge Janet Protasiewicz for Wisconsin Supreme Court and Jodi Habush Sinykin for State Senate District 8. The outcome of this election will not only decide the makeup of the Supreme Court, but also determine if pro-equality candidates can stop discriminatory anti-LGBTQ+ bills from becoming law. We have a long history of fighting for LGBTQ+ equality here in Wisconsin and our work continues with this election in April. Equality Voters showed up in November and delivered important victories in Wisconsin, and we need to make our voices heard once again for candidates who will protect LGBTQ+ people and deliver on our nation’s founding promise of equality for all.”
If you want tangible evidence of how things could change if we had fair maps, look no further than Michigan. In 2011, Michigan was also gerrymandered like Wisconsin. Unlike Wisconsin, their state constitution allows voters to have direct referendums. And after the midterm election, Democrats won back the Assembly and the State Senate. Gretchen Whitmer won in a landslide. It’s only March and this is just some of the legislation they have been able to pass: Newly Empowered Michigan Democrats Move on Labor, Gay Rights, and Guns.
There are zero guarantees that Wisconsin would replicate Michigan and flip both the Assembly and the Senate if our maps were fair. But we are pretty damn sure that more fair maps, lead to more moderate candidates that are at least willing to compromise.
In Elon Musk’s news, the Twitter and Tesla CEO are reportedly planning to build “a sort of Texas utopia” for employees outside of Austin. If your first reaction is to roll your eyes, well, then, same.
But during this segment, Kristin reflects on her weekend spent in Kohler, WI, and the idealistic pictures the history of the town evokes. It paints an image of what is possible when a company takes care of its employees.
What is the true legacy of “company towns” and is there a future for them in our current culture? Would you move to one?
Reminder: There are 22 Days Until Wisconsin’s Spring Election.
