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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