OutCenter Hopeful Of Civil Rights Law Changes With New AG Nessel

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There is renewed optimism among gay rights organizations that the election of a lesbian as Michigan’s next attorney general will mean a change in how the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act is applied for the LGBTQ community. OutCenter executive director Mary Jo Schnell tells WSJM News, however, amending the law will still be an uphill battle.

“To include gender identity, sexual orientation and gender expression, it actually has to pass both chambers that are still under Republican majority control,” cautions Schnell.

Attorney General Bill Schuette ruled in July that the current law does not protect gays from discrimination. This means they can still legally be fired, denied housing, and more based on that criteria. There have been multiple efforts since the law was enacted in 1976 to expand it to cover the LGBTQ community, but all have fallen short. Schnell says the challenge will be to persuade GOP leaders to not only hold hearings on the change, but also make sure it’s a “clean amendment.”

“When I say a clean amendment, I’m talking about an amendment that doesn’t provide for language such as ‘you’re protected from discrimination unless someone of faith wants to discriminate against you,'” says Schnell.

Attorney General-elect Dana Nessel represented Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer, whose lawsuit against the state seeking the right to get married went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and resulted in the legalization nationwide of same-sex marriage. Two years ago, Nessel said the time was right to get laws changed to add the protections for the LGBTQ community.