Supporters of a ballot campaign to ban
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in
Michigan say they'll begin collecting signatures as soon as this
weekend.
The announcement comes following state
government approval of the petition's summary language.
The campaign was launched earlier this
month by the group Fair and Equal Michigan.
Fair and Equal Michigan is a coalition
of business executives, activists, and non-profits. It includes
leaders from Dow, Consumer Energy, DTE Energy, and Apple.
The initiative seeks to ban LGBT
discrimination in housing and employment by expanding the
Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1976, which prohibits
discrimination based on religion, race, age, sex, and other
attributes. It would amend the law to include people who identify as
LGBT by re-defining the word “sex” to include sexual orientation
and gender identity or expression, Mlive.com
reported.
To reach the November ballot for voters
to decide, the group must collect 340,047 valid petition signatures
by May 27.