Now a Michigan Politician is Comparing Gays to Nazis

A Saginaw, Michigan city council member is now receiving criticism for comparing those supporting an LGBT+ inclusive non-discrimination ordinance to Nazis. Because of course he did.

SIGH… This again?

Councilman Dan Fitzpatrick proved Godwin’s law during a meeting of the Saginaw City Council on Tuesday. The council was taking up the issue of a proposed ordinance to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity (which failed 9-0, with its sponsor voting against it for procedural reasons).

Most people know my position. What I’m totally amazed at is a number of people I’ve talked to or heard from say, ‘Come on, just pass this thing.’ Find out what it means later. Well how does that sound? Doesn’t matter; if it’s bad, fix it. Fix it later. It’s going to happen eventually; just get with it. Be progressive. In about 1933 there was a real big youth movement in Germany called the party of national socialists. A lot of people said, ‘You know, I don’t like them. I don’t know; I don’t understand. But man they’re good for business.’

The sponsor of the non-discrimination ordinance proposal, Councilwoman Annie Boensch, pretty much immediately called Fitzpatrick out on the absurdity of his comments.

If we are trying to engage in sincere dialog, writing off your constituents as Nazis is sickening. It’s not an acceptable comparison to anything… As I recall, Hitler exterminated the Jews and gays right along with them. We’re talking about the genocide of human beings. These people rounded up human beings and slaughtered them; this is not the same. It’s completely a dangerous line to tread.We’re trying to make sure people have equal access to grocery stores and pharmacies and restaurants. We’re trying to preserve the dignity of people that aren’t recognised under the law.

Of course, when Fitzpatrick was confronted with the absurdity of his statements, his response was basically, “I didn’t say what you just heard me say.”

I wasn’t comparing them with the Nazis. Just the idea that just because something comes from the youth community, or a small subculture of youth or a subculture of our community, it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily good….I’m not saying they’re Nazis. I will say that sometimes these tactics smack of it. The similar kinds of things that the German youth movement did. That everything old is bad and everything new is good.