JACKIE HEADAPOHL ASSOCIATE EDITOR
A

citizen-led ballot initiative to
expand the Elliott-Larsen Civil
Rights Act (ELCRA) to include dis-
crimination protections for members of the
LGBTQ community is moving forward. On
Jan. 7, the group Fair and Equal Michigan
asked the state Board of Canvassers to
approve the wording of a petition that
would ban discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity.
Michigan currently affords no protection
to LGBTQ people in areas of employment,
housing and public accommodation dis-
crimination.
“When I co-sponsored Michigan’
s Civil
Rights Act in 1973 with Rep. Daisy Elliott,
it was about treating everybody equally,
especially in employment, housing and
our most basic of services; it is long past
the time to recognize sexual orientation
and gender identity,” Mel Larsen, former
state representative and original sponsor of
Michigan’
s Elliot Larsen Civil Rights Act,
said in a statement. “The legislature can act
at any time to amend the Civil Rights Act.
This coalition of Michigan citizens has sup-
port across LGBTQ groups, the business
and philanthropic sectors, and both sides of

the political aisle. There is more that brings
us together than forces us apart.”
Business leaders backing the petition
drive include DTE Energy President and
CEO Jerry Norcia, Consumers Energy
President and CEO Patti Poppe, Herman
Miller President and CEO Andi Owen,
Whirlpool Corp. Vice President Jeff Noel
and Dow Inc. CEO Jim Fitterling.
“
Advancing the fair treatment of all
people — regardless of their race, religion,
disability, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual
orientation or gender identity — is a key
component of retaining and growing a
world-class, talented workforce,” Poppe said
in a statement.
Once petition language is approved, the
group will start gathering signatures. If it
gathers 340,047 signatures within 180 days,
it goes to the state legislature, which would
have 40 days to adopt it or allow it to go to
the ballot for the Nov. 3 general election.
Efforts to expand civil rights to the
LGBTQ community have been going on for
two decades; however, the Republican-led
legislature has never brought the matter up
for a vote because of concerns around reli-
gious freedom protections.

“Most Michiganders support enacting
workplace and housing protections for
the LGBTQ community and will back
every effort to implement these protec-
tions in law,” said State Sen. Jeremy Moss
(D-Southfield).
Petition language would expand the
definition of “sex” in the ELCRA to include
“sexual orientation” and “gender identity
or expression,” guaranteeing safeguards
in housing, public accommodation and
employment.
“In our role as elected state legislators,
State Rep. Jon Hoadley (D-Kalamazoo)
and I introduced legislation
last year to add sexual ori-
entation and gender identity
or expression to the existing
protected classes in Michigan’
s
Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act
— and the majority party has
refused to even hold commit-
tee hearings on our bills,” Moss said. “This
announcement of a prospective ballot pro-
posal also serves to renew our call for the
legislature to move swiftly to pass the bills
we sponsored because Michigan residents
are fed up with inaction.”

20 | JANUARY 16 • 2020

Sen. Jeremy
Moss

Expanding
Civil Rights

New ballot initiative seeks to
expand civil rights protection to
Michigan’
s LGBTQ community.

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