Backers of an effort to protect gay,
bisexual and transgender people in Michigan will begin collecting
signatures in January to put the question before voters after winning
regulatory approval.
According to the Detroit
Free Press, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers on Tuesday
approved the form and wording of a petition promoted by Fair
Michigan.
About 315,000 valid signatures must be
submitted by July 11 for the petition to reach the November 2016
ballot.
If approved by voters next year, the
Michigan Constitution would be amended to ban discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and sex.
Equality Michigan and the American
Civil Liberties Union oppose the approach because of the possibility
voters will defeat it.
“The whole LGBT movement is pretty
united on that path [of lobbying lawmakers],” Equality Michigan
Executive Director Steph White told the AP. “None of the [poll]
numbers I've seen indicate any hope for this to win.”