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A Republican state lawmaker wants to forbid local governments and state agencies from offering civil rights protections that are more expansive than those in the state’s civil rights law. As we hear from Michigan Public Radio’s Rick Pluta, the measure would forbid extending civil rights protections to gay or transgendered people.
SOQ
At least 18 local governments have ordinances that offer protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. State Representative Tom McMillin’s bill says state agencies, school districts, city councils, and other public bodies would not be allowed to protect any classes not mentioned in Michigan’s civil rights law, which does cover race, gender, weight, and marital status, among other things, but not sexual orientation. Jay Kaplan is with the American Civil Liberties Union, which opposes the bill.
“Why do this? Why do you care? If communities wish to ensure that it’s a fair place for all people who live there, why should the Legislature be concerned with something like that?”
Kaplan says the measure would violate the rights of cities, counties, and school districts to manage their affairs.
