Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Maine

NJDC Intern — September 15, 2014 – 9:45 am | 2014 Election | Democrats Comments (0) Add a comment

Hillary Clinton isn’t the only politician that may soon break a glass ceiling. Rep. Mike Michaud of Maine may soon become the first openly gay governor of a U.S. state.

And his positions show that he is a champion of progressive issues. Michaud advocates for a stronger pre-k program in Maine to increase access to earlier education, the creation of more challenging academic programs to challenge Maine’s kids, and legislation to reduce costs of higher education.

But Michaud is fighting an uphill battle to implement these reforms. He is seeking to unseat the current Governor Paul LePage, a man with a troubling history. LePage has tried to pass a law allowing educational funds to go to religious schools, threatening America’s precious separation of church and state. Other so called “educational reforms” would include making high school students pay for remedial classes they take in and allowing the state to take over failing schools. He advocates for a wall to stop illegal immigrations, saying “If we can’t build a fence high enough ... we ought to go to China and see how they built a wall.” His campaign calls a decades old bill of Michaud’s making a “job-killer” for those employed at Great Northern Paper Co. This is blatantly false. Michaud’s bill, which passed with unanimous support in the state legislature, actually saved jobs and helped the mill stay in business.

LePage is facing questions over his decision to repeatedly meet with activists who have ties to a group the FBI and Maine law enforcement consider a domestic terrorist organization. He opposes not only the Affordable Care Act but also the Internal Revenue Service, comparing both to the Gestapo in World War II.

It’s important for Maine to oust such an extreme leader, but equally exciting is the idea of an openly gay governor. This has the LGBTIQ community excited, and rightfully so. Michaud says that he has overall had a positive experience with coming out. He is adamant that being gay changes nothing. He is still fighting for an improved economy, healthcare, jobs and everything else he did before coming out. Sexual orientation would not dictate the kind of governor he would be. He plans on raising the minimum wage, investing heavily in small business, and even making the sophomore year at the University of Maine free. 

Michaud is the seventh openly gay member of the U.S. house. He has already proven that attitudes toward homosexuals are changing, and that, at least in his district, constituents are equal opportunity employers. America has come a long way for this to be possible.

Comments

There are no comments for this entry