Michigan Legislature approves LGBTQ+ protections after forty-year campaign
by Rachel Louise Just | Sinclair Broadcast Group | Wed, March 8th 2023, 3:31 PM EST
LANSING, Mich. — Legislation that would write protections for LGBTQ+ Michiganders into the state's civil rights act is on its way to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk for a guaranteed signature.
On Wednesday, the Michigan House passed Senate Bill 4, which adds protections for sexual orientation and gender identity and expression into the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1976. The act already lists protected classes in the state as "religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status, or marital status," meaning anyone who fits into those classes cannot be discriminated against in their jobs, education, housing, or public accommodations. The bill passed 64-45, with eight Republicans joining all Democrats.
The Senate passed the legislation 23-15 in a historic vote last Wednesday.
Opponents to the legislation in the Senate, all of which were Republicans, said they were concerned that the added protections for the LGBTQ+ community would infringe upon the rights of religious people and institutions. Advocates for the bills said the protections were long overdue and would not infringe on religious rights because religion is also included in Elliott-Larsen.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community have been pushing to include gender and sexuality protections for four decades. With a Democratic majority in the House, Senate, and governor's mansion for the first time since the early 1980s, the legislation has made progress for the first time.
The House is also expected to pass House Bill 4003, a duplicate bill that would then go to a Senate committee for a vote.
In 2022, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the state's civil rights act protects people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Original article link: https://wwmt.com/news/state/michigan-legislature-house-votes-lgbtq-protections-forty-year-campaign-elliott-larsen-civil-rights-act-elcra-jeremy-moss-whitmer
