LGBTQ Rights

A faith-based healthcare clinic is making plans to appeal a court decision that rejected its challenge to Michigan’s LGBTQ rights law.

The annual event celebrates transgender people and raises awareness about the discrimination they face.

LGBTQ protections are now covered in Michigan’s civil rights law

The Michigan Senate voted Wednesday to expand the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include LGBTQ rights in the state’s anti-discrimination protections. Previous efforts have languished, but the Senate’s new Democratic majority added LGBTQ rights to its list of priorities.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer and legislative Democrats said today that a bill to expand Michigan’s civil rights law to include LGBTQ protections will be voted on next week. A state Senate vote planned for this week was delayed by an ice storm that shut down much of the state.

A Senate committee has approved a bill to add LGBTQ protections to Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.

A first hearing on an LGBTQ civil rights bill was held today before a state Senate committee.

A Catholic church in St. Johns within the Diocese of Lansing is suing Attorney General Dana Nessel and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights over recent changes to the state’s civil rights laws.A ruling from the Michigan Supreme Court this summer said that members of the LGBTQ community are protected from discrimination by the state’s civil rights laws. The Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, and the justices concluded in a 5-2 decision that the law also applies to sexual orientation and gender identity.

The City of Grand Rapids has issued a civil infraction against a local wedding venue, after the business refused to book weddings of same-sex couples.The Broadway Avenue came under fire back in July, after the Grand Rapids-based venue said it had a policy against hosting LGBTQ+ weddings, based on the owners’ religious beliefs.

A group of state legislators are reintroducing a bill aimed at expanding Michigan’s anti-discrimination laws. Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act does not specifically protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Neither does Michigan’s Ethnic Intimidation Law.