National LGBTQ Task Force Calls on Michigan Lawmakers to Include Gender Identity Protections in Non-Discrimination Legislation

WASHINGTON, DC, November 12, 2014 —The National LGBTQ Task Force has learned of a possible amendment to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, a bill currently making its way through the Michigan House of Representatives, which would exclude discrimination protections for transgender people.

“Discrimination has no place in Michigan, and prohibiting discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity is necessary to ensure that LGBTQ people have the full legal protections they need. The National LGBTQ Task Force is adamantly opposed to any bill that fails to serve our entire community, including bills that aim to protect on the basis of sexual orientation but not gender identity and expression. Removing gender identity and expression protections from non-discrimination legislation is not a compromise–it is an abandonment of our own community.

“In addition to adding explicit protections for transgender people, gender identity and expression protections ensure that the lesbian, gay, and bisexual communities have legal protections based not only on who they love, but also how they express themselves. Pro-equality legislators in Michigan should oppose this attempt to undermine their hard work toward a Michigan that fully protects the LGBTQ community from discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations.”

–Stacey Long Simmons, National LGBTQ Task Force Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs

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