Michigan civil rights groups are cheering today’s US Supreme Court ruling that says LGBTQ protections are enshrined in federal law. A petition campaign to add similar protections to Michigan’s civil rights law is deciding what to do next.
The Fair and Equal Michigan signature-gathering campaign faces hurdles created by COVID-19 restrictions. The task of collecting 340-thousand-42 signatures is proving to be difficult and expensive.
Jay Kaplan with the ACLU of Michigan says, whether it’s now or later, it’s past time these anti-discrimination protections are part of state law.
“So that they’re not subject to interpretation by judges. We have absolute certainty.”
Kaplan says the Legislature could also vote now on bills to amend the law without waiting on a petition initiative. The Legislature’s Republican leaders have shown no interest in bringing the question up for a vote.