A petition campaign to add LGBTQ protections to Michigan’s civil rights law is over. That’s after the Michigan Supreme Court refused today to hear an appeal of a ruling that the campaign failed to gather enough signatures.
The Fair and Equal Michigan campaign struggled to collect signatures during the pandemic, including an attempt to gather enough names electronically.
Spokesman Josh Hovey says the campaign is backing a separate Supreme Court case that says the law’s existing protections against gender discrimination also cover LGBTQ rights. He also says the Legislature can expand the law.
“We’ll focus on those paths first, and if still LGBTQ rights aren’t secured, I can’t rule out a future petition.”
The Court of Claims ruled last December that there’s no implicit recognition of LGBTQ rights in the law.