Tuesday’s election was a moral victory for gay rights supporters in Michigan, as ballots were cast in three cities in favor of anti-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation.
Huntington Woods residents voted to approve a human rights ordinance passed by the city commission earlier this year that outlaws sexual orientation-based discrimination.
In Kalamazoo and Traverse City, voters rejected a measure that would have amended the city charter to prohibit any ordinances to grant gays, lesbians or bisexuals “protected” status.
While the voting ended in favor of the gay community, there is still more work that can be done.
In April, Rep. Patricia Godchaux, R-Birmingham, introduced a bill that would protect gays from discrimination under Michigan’s Civil Rights Act. She proposed the same bill during the 1999-2000 legislative session, but it never received a hearing.
After Tuesday’s election, eight Michigan cities have ordinances that prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, and four municipalities have resolutions that ban city officials from doing the same.
But without statewide legislation, employers can fire anyone based on sexual orientation, or property owners can evict or refuse to rent housing to gays and lesbians elsewhere in Michigan.
While we celebrate Tuesday’s election results and push for further measures, there are those who refuse to see the vote as the victory for everyone that it is. The Midland-based American Family Association of Michigan has lobbied against equal protection laws for gays and lesbians throughout the state.
For the supporters of the group, special protection for the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgendered society is against their code of beliefs, claiming such behavior is wrong and has physical and mental risks for those involved.
They have also been taking steps to stop the spread of equal rights for gay society, saying that gay rights organizations are discriminatory in themselves and are used to punish other organizations, such as the Boy Scouts and various faith-based institutions.
But it’s a foolish viewpoint, as the residents of Traverse City, Kalamazoo and Huntington Woods demonstrated.
Discrimination based on sexual orientation is the same as making judgments based on race, disabilities, gender or social status. It accomplishes nothing, and holds no real validity.
Next year, Ypsilanti voters may face the decision to repeal their 1998 ordinance that prohibits gay discrimination. The city is considering certifying petition signatures submitted to repeal the ordinance.
We hope this leads to more positive measures taken in other cities in the future and more attention given to the bill that would protect the LBGT community statewide. We need these kinds of protections to prevent more serious problems from happening and to improve the quality of life for all Michigan residents.
It simply shouldn’t be legal to discriminate against anybody for any reason.
