On February 28th, the Michigan Senate voted to adopt Senate Bill 4 that would expand the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) to include rights of people from LGBTQ+ communities. YES! The ELCRA bans discrimination in employment, housing, and public services based on other categories such as: religion, race, color, national origen, age, sex, height, weight, and marital status. The Michigan Supreme Court ruled last year that discrimination based on sex includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Democratic controlled Senate refused to adopt a religious exemption amendment that would have allowed discrimination toward LGBTQ+ people under the guise of religious beliefs. Senator Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield), who sponsored this bill, said "we are not asking for anything more than anyone else has but we are not going to accept anything less than full protection under the law". MUUSJN agrees with Senator Moss. Religion should be a source of love not an excuse for creating harm.
The next step for expanding LGBTQ+ rights is adoption of HB 4003 sponsored by Michigan Representative Jason Hoskins (D-Southfield). This bill is currently in the House Judiciary Committee chaired by Representative Kelly Breen.