LGBTQ Michiganders now have the same civil rights protections as any group since Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an expansion of the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act into law last month. OutCenter Director Mary Jo Schnell tells us the Benton Harbor organization was part of a coalition pushing for the expansion for years. Schnell says they’re “over the moon” the expansion has finally happened.
“This is historic and monumental for the state, but also for all of the Michiganders that have been locked out of equal protection for way too long,” Schnell said.
Schnell says the OutCenter gets calls all of the time from LGBTQ people who have faced discrimination, often at work, from people who harass them.
“Which is also housing, whether or not they got that rental because the landlord looked them up on Facebook, so it’s insidious. It was too lax for too long, and I really feel like this is a turning point for a lot of people.”
Schnell says having a state law on the books protecting LGBTQ people from such discrimination will empower them not to take abuse. Among the eight state House Republicans to join Democrats to expand the law was state Representative Pauline Wendzel of Berrien County. Schnell says the OutCenter is grateful Wendzel took a stand for equal protection.
