FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan

Monday, March 27, 2013
Contact: Jessica Tramontana, 517.974.6302, jessica@progressmichigan.org

Michigan law allows employers to discriminate against LGBT Michiganders

LANSING — Citizen watchdog group Progress Michigan is calling on Republican politicians to do the right thing by putting a stop discrimination based on sexual orientation and amending the Elliott-Larson civil rights act to protect everyone from discrimination. Opponents of this move contend this isn’t an issue in Michigan, yet a Brighton women was fired this month because her employer discovered she was a lesbian. Rep. Dave Agema has also posted a disturbing rant on Facebook, claiming that LGBT Americans are responsible for murders in large cities and inaccurate numbers of “statistics on homosexuality.”

“It’s simply shameful to give a green light to bullies by not including sexual orientation in protections for Michigan residents,” said Zack Pohl, executive director of Progress Michigan. “Republican politicians are fostering an atmosphere of hatred and bigotry instead of ensuring every Michigander is protected from discrimination.”

Republican politicians in Lansing have launched numerous attacks on anyone who looks, acts or loves differently than they do. They tried to pass an “anti-bullying” bill that created a loophole, giving anyone the ability to bully if they claimed “a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction.”

Michigan’s Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema is no stranger to bullying himself, and today actually encouraged parents to bully principals and school officials if they didn’t perpetuate a discriminatory atmosphere in schools. On his Facebook page today he spread a hateful rant asserting a number of “statistics on homosexuality,” including that LGBT Americans are responsible for “half the murders in large cities.”

“Agema is a prime example of a politician sorely out of touch with reality, and owes the LGBT community an apology,” Pohl continued. “Nobody should have to endure hatred or discrimination based on their sexual orientation, especially not from politicians and public officials. It’s time lawmakers in Lansing did the right thing, by expanding civil rights protections to include our LGBT community.”

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View the petition calling on Republican leaders to take a stand against discrimination here: http://progressmichigan.org/justwrong

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