Founders Brewing Co. joined a growing protest Wednesday over the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce's endorsement of Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette in the governor's race.
The Grand Rapids-based brewer, citing concerns about a lack of support from Schuette for LGBTQ rights, said in a social media post it wants the business group to withdraw the endorsement.
"We will be terminating our membership in the meantime and encourage our fellow local businesses to consider doing the same," the company tweeted.
Rick Baker, the chamber's CEO, did not immediately respond to telephone and email messages seeking comment.
Schuette issued a statement late Wednesday that said he is proud to have the Grand Rapids chamber endorsement, as well as endorsements from many other business groups.
"Michigan must be a place where we grow our recovering economy and we ensure there is no room for discrimination of any kind, because all people must be treated with dignity, grace and respect," Schuette said. "We will work together to protect everyone, including employment protections and religious liberties."
The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, which endorsed Lt. Gov. Brian Calley in the Republican primary, announced its general election endorsement of Schuette on Monday, through its Friends of West Michigan Business Political Action Committee.
Other Grand Rapid businesses, including restaurant Donkey Tacqueria and 8ThirtyFour Integrated Communications, said they were also canceling their chamber memberships over the endorsement, MiBiz reported Tuesday.
Founders retweeted a tweet from Grand Rapids Pride Center that expressed "deep disappointment" over the Schuette endorsement and said it "will suspend any future partnerships with the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and any of its programs."
The Grand Rapids Pride Center cited an opinion issued by Schuette as AG in July that said the state's civil rights law, as written, does not protect gay and transgender people from discrimination.
"Earlier this year, the Michigan Civil Rights Commission ruled that our state cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation," the center said in a statement posted on Twitter.
"In response, Bill Schuette communicated his dissent regarding these protections and stated he did not think civil rights protections should extend to the LGBTQ community."
Schuette staffer and campaign volunteer Luke Londo, in a post on Twitter, described the center's allegation as "a disgusting lie," which Founders Brewing "fell for."
Schuette was interpreting Michigan's civil rights statute as it is written, not expressing a personal viewpoint about who should be covered by the act, said Londo, who described the reaction to the chamber endorsement as "manufactured outrage."
Londo, who is bisexual, said in an email that he was speaking personally on Twitter and not on behalf of Schuette or the campaign.
Londo said "the only way for people like myself to be free from discrimination is for the Legislature to change the law," and "it's unfortunate that groups that purportedly represent LGBTQs like myself are playing fast and loose with the facts, and deliberately misrepresenting the Attorney General's position to score political points."
In 2015, Schuette fought all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court — unsuccessfully — to defend Michigan's ban on gay marriage, approved by voters in 2004. Schuette said he was duty-bound to defend the state constitution, as amended by voters.
Former Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer is the Democratic nominee for governor.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.
