Under Gov. Whitmer, Will Michigan’s LGBTQ Residents Get Legal Protection?

Michigan activists point to problems with protecting the civil liberties of the LGBTQ population.

Jake Neher/WDET

Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson is joined by several guests for a hour-long discussion about where Michigan is at with LGBTQ rights.

Michigan’s anti-discrimination law, the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights act, makes it illegal to discriminate against someone for their religion, the color of their skin and several other factors. But it does not explicitly protect against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. There have been a number of efforts over recent years to reverse that, and now, advocates believe they have a friend in the governor’s mansion.

But many questions remain about how to get there with expanding Elliott-Larsen.

State Senator Jeremy Moss, a Democrat from Southfield, is the lead sponsor of legislation to expand the state’s Civil Rights law to include LGBTQ protections. He joins Stephen to talk about his efforts. Stephen is also joined by Transgender Victims Advocate with Equality Michigan Jeynce Poindexter and Executive Director of the Arab American and Chaldean Council Jim Murray. Murray previously helped lead business efforts to expand Elliott-Larsen when he was president of AT&T’s Michigan division.

Click on the player above to hear the full conversation about protecting LGBTQ residents in Michigan.

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  • Detroit Today
    Dynamic and diverse voices. News, politics, community and the issues that define our region. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, Detroit Today brings you fresh and perceptive views weekdays at 9 am and 7 pm.