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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

In Wake of Orlando: Turning Emotions into Action in Michigan

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Monday, June 27, 2016   

LANSING, Mich. - It's been two weeks since the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., but the tragedy likely will never be forgotten by those in Michigan's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

Activist Jim Toy, founder of the Spectrum Center, and a member of the National Association of Social Workers in Michigan, said people in Michigan are still experiencing sadness, anger and fear over the tragedy. Emotions, he said, should be directed into action for change. Toy said the LGBT community is threatened by the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act.

"Not by the act itself but by people who use it against TGBLQ folks and allies," he said. "We also are at risk of having our local non-discrimination ordinances struck down."

He notes Michigan's Elliot Larson Non-Discrimination Act and the state's hate crimes law do not include LGBT individuals and need to be expanded. Forty-nine people were among those killed by a gunman targeting a gay night club on June 12, including two men with ties to Michigan.

Another issue resonating after the Orlando shooting are calls for sensible gun laws, including restricting access to assault weapons. Toy believes gun violence is an epidemic that should be addressed at multiple levels.

"Guns are used by people who are filled, for example, with prejudice and hate," he added. "On the other hand, the psycho-social forces that encourage people to use guns or any other weapon of violence needs to be addressed."

Toy adds that in order to create justice that can lead to peace, the current culture of hate needs to end. He said people from all walks of life deserve to be treated with respect.

"It needs to be addressed first in positive terms in our homes, our educational institutions, our religious institutions and in specific policy concerns," he said. "We've been working on that for 30 years here, so we have a long road to go."


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