Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Signs Michigan's LGBTQ+ Protections Into Law The ADVOCATE https://www.advocate.com/politics/gretchen-whitmer-lgbtq-protections-michiganBy: Trudy Ring
March 16 2023 7:27 PM EST
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Michigan is now the 22nd U.S. state to ban anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination through legislation.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, signed a bill to that effect into law Thursday. The action caps decades of effort to expand Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to cover sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The new protections apply to employment, housing, and public accommodations.
The Elliott-Larsen Act was passed in 1976 and took effect in 1977, banning discrimination based on race, religion, sex, and other factors. The first bill to add sexual orientation to it was introduced in 1983 by Rep. Jim Dressel.
LGBTQ+ groups lauded Michigan’s move.
Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said in a statement, “This is an incredible and historic day for LGBTQ+ people, for the people of Michigan, and for all Americans across our nation. Last fall we witnessed a dangerous, anti-LGBTQ+ campaign by extremist politicians in Michigan — a campaign that ultimately failed because the voters of Michigan overwhelmingly rejected it.
