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Gay
marriage
case may
affect
discrimination,
religion
bills
By DAVID
EGGERT
Associated
Press
LANSING,
MI -
Gov.
Rick
Snyder
hopes to
resuscitate
legislation
that
would
protect
gay and
transgender
residents
from
discrimination,
while
LGBT
advocates
explore
asking
voters
to pass
the bill
since
it's
unlikely
to clear
the
GOP-led
Legislature.
In his
State of
the
State
speech,
the
Republican
governor
called
for
continued
discussion
over
amending
Michigan's
civil
rights
law to
prohibit
discrimination
against
lesbian,
gay,
bisexual
and
transgender
residents
in
employment,
housing
and
places
open to
the
public.
"Let's
show
that we
can deal
with
issues
of
discrimination
in our
state,"
Snyder
said,
drawing
applause
from
Democrats
and some
Republicans.
But
after
Tuesday's
address,
new GOP
House
Speaker
Kevin
Cotter
of Mount
Pleasant
told
reporters
that he
sees no
need for
more
debate
after
the
business-backed
legislation
stalled
in
November
without
a vote.
The U.S.
Supreme
Court's
recent
decision
to take
up
constitutional
challenges
to a gay
marriage
ban in
Michigan,
however,
may
intensify
pressure
on
lawmakers
from
both the
LGBT
community
and
social
conservatives.
"You
could
have a
situation
where
people
are
allowed
to get
married
in a
state
but will
lose
their
jobs if
they
were to
come out
publicly
or let
it be
known
that
they got
married
to a
same-sex
partner,"
said
Sommer
Foster,
director
of
political
advocacy
for
Equality
Michigan.
Until a
year
ago, she
said,
every
state
where
same-sex
marriage
is legal
also had
anti-discrimination
protections
for
gays.
But as a
wave of
lower
courts
ruled
quickly
in favor
of gay
marriage
rights,
many now
allow
same-sex
marriage
yet
don't
have
non-discrimination
policies.
"The
impending
Supreme
Court
decision
makes it
even
more
urgent,"
Foster
said.
Realistic
about
the
yet-to-be-reintroduced
bill's
future,
the
organization
is
studying
whether
a 2016
ballot
measure
is an
option
and if
enough
money
can be
raised
for a
signature-gathering
and
advertising
campaign.
A final
decision
will be
made in
six to
12
months.
There
has
never
been a
statewide
vote in
any
state on
such a
measure,
Foster
said.
A
September
poll
conducted
for The
Detroit
News and
WDIV-TV
by the
Glengariff
Group
showed
74
percent
of 600
likely
state
voters
were in
support
of
making
it
illegal
to fire
or deny
housing
to
someone
because
he or
she is
gay,
lesbian,
bisexual
or
transgender.
Eighteen
percent
were in
opposition,
with a
margin
of
sampling
error of
plus or
minus 4
percentage
points.
Some
supporters
of a
proposed
state
version
of the
federal
Religious
Freedom
Restoration
Act also
say
their
effort
to
shield a
person's
sincerely
held
beliefs
from
government
overreach
could be
more
vital
given
the
Supreme
Court's
approaching
gay
marriage
ruling -
which is
expected
by the
end of
June.
The
proposed
law,
which
died in
the
Republican-controlled
Senate
in
December
after
being
passed
by the
House,
was
reintroduced
the same
day as
Snyder's
State of
the
State
address.
"We're
very
hopeful
it will
get a
warmer
reception,"
said Tom
Hickson,
vice
president
for
public
policy
and
advocacy
at the
Michigan
Catholic
Conference,
which
has
lobbied
for the
legislation
for at
least 15
years.
"I don't
see any
reason
to think
that
this
isn't
something
that's
going to
have
certainly
some
robust
discussions."
Backers
of the
Michigan
religious
liberty
bill
point to
cases
such as
a
suburban
Denver
baker
who
refused
to make
a cake
for a
same-sex
wedding
and is
fighting
an order
requiring
him to
serve
gay
couples
against
his
religious
beliefs.
During
the
recent
lame-duck
session,
Snyder
expressed
concern
with
enacting
religious
liberty
legislation
if it
didn't
coincide
with
also
updating
the 1976
Elliott-Larsen
Civil
Rights
Act.
Senate
Minority
Leader
Jim
Ananich,
D-
Flint,
said he
hopes
the GOP
majority
decides
against
pursuing
the
religious
freedom
bill.
"I'm
hopeful
that
they'll
realize
that we
need to
be
finding
solutions
that
help all
Michigan
families,
not
pandering
to
ideologues
within
each of
our
parties,"
he said.
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