LGBT Employment Discrimination

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled yesterday in a 5-2 decision that Michigan’s main civil rights statute, the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. This means ELCRA’s anti-discrimination protections extend to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Michiganders.

Going Deeper:

The Michigan Supreme Court decision stems from a lawsuit, Rouch World LLC

same-sex coupleOver 370 companies, including small businesses and Fortune 100 companies, and business groups showed their support for same-sex couples seeking the right to marry by filing a brief in the same-sex marriage case Obergefell v Hodges pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Thirty-seven states and Washington, D.C. permit same-sex marriages under local laws or court

LGBT DiscriminationLast year, some Michigan politicians introduced proposed legislation to amend Michigan’s main employment civil rights statute, the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA), to protect employees who are gay from discrimination. That legislation, however, didn’t go anywhere. And going into the elections this November the future of that legislation is, at best, uncertain and, more likely,

Same-Sex MarriageMichigan’s Governor Rick Snyder issued today a press release announcing that Michigan will not recognize any of the 300 plus same-sex marriages that were performed last weekend. These same-sex marriages were performed after a federal judge declared Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional.

Unwilling to accept this decision, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette decided

Rainbow Flag.jpgSexual orientation discrimination can be described as being treated differently or harassed because of a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, which includes gay, lesbian, bisexual, or heterosexual orientation.

Unlike federal laws that protect people from workplace discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, religion, sex, age, and disability, there is no federal law that