Last night Union Township became the 21st local municipality in Michigan to pass a non-discrimination ordinance. It was passed unanimously. Congrats to everyone in Union who worked hard to make sure all residents are treated fairly!
Town Hall Recap: Act now!
What a great night. Last night we held our Virtual Town Hall, where we heard from Michigan Supreme Court Justice Marilyn Kelly, Lambda Legal‘s Eric Lesh,Affirmations‘ Johnny Jenkins, the ACLU of Michigan‘s Jay Kaplan, and the Stonewall Bar Association of Michigan‘s Tim Cordes. After that town hall, I’m pledging to get informed. It’s too important not to!
Save the date!
A message from Mt. Pleasant
| Hello neighbors!I’m Norma Bailey, an advocate for gay and transgender protections in Mt. Pleasant. Not just an advocate, but a proud one! Mt. Pleasant has just become the 19th city in Michigan to pass an ordinance that protects gay and transgender residents. What does this mean? Now residents cannot be fired from their jobs or kicked out of their homes just for being gay or transgender. |
Unity Michigan Coalition Applauds Non-Discrimination Ordinance Passage
City of Mount Pleasant passes ordinance to protect all residents
July 10, 2012 — Last night, the Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, City Commission ensured that all residents will be treated fairly and equally by passing a human rights ordinance. The ordinance includes crucial protections for gay and transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodations.
“We celebrate this victory, made possible by the hardworking advocates in Mt. Pleasant,” said Jon Hoadley, Director of the Unity Michigan Coalition. “This marks the 19th city in Michigan to pass these protections–momentum is growing across the state for fairness and equality.”
“This result shows how a community can come together to provide protections and welcome for all of its citizens, including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members,” said local leader Norma Bailey. “Now no one need fear for their employment, housing or public accommodations based solely on who they are.”
65% of Michiganders support making Michigan an equal opportunity state. (See http://dontchangeyourself.com/Quinlan2011.pdf) Mt. Pleasant is one of 19 cities in Michigan, and more than 100 across the country who have successfully implemented similar ordinances.
The Unity Michigan Coalition works to ensure that all Michiganders are treated fairly by advancing non-discrimination policies. www.unitymichigan.org
The Unity Michigan Coalition includes the ACLU of Michigan, Affirmations, Equality Michigan, KICK, the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion, and the Ruth Ellis Center.
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Mark Your Calendars!
We are very excited to share these upcoming events from our coalition partners. Attending these events is a fantastic way to support valuable community organizations while meeting others who are committed to making Michigan a better place to work, live, and play.
AIDS Walk Detroit – Sign up for Team Affirmations!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
10:00 AM
Royal Oak Farmers Market, 316 East 11 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI
Every year Affirmations has a team of committed and enthusiastic walkers involved with AIDS Walk Detroit, that helps raise over $15,000 to support Affirmations’ HIV/AIDS prevention and education programs and services.
Feel proud knowing you made a difference – Sign up for Team Affirmations today!
Fall Bash
Saturday, October 6, 2012
6:30 PM – 2:00 AM
Magic Stick, 4140 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI
Affirmations is honored to announce its first annual Fall Bash at the historic Magic Stick, above the Majestic Theater. This is a casual, fun event featuring performances by local bands, comedians and other performance artists. This year’s theme, Take Back The Playground, will focus on new anti-bullying efforts and programming at the center, which will be introduced that evening.
Buy tickets here!
Share your story in Holland!
The Michigan Department of Civil Rights is examining how Michigan’s laws impact the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, focusing on non-discrimination laws amending the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.
The Department will take written testimony, as well as verbal testimony at a series of public hearings around the state. The next hearing is Tuesday, June 26, at 7pm at Holland City Hall, 270 South River Avenue. We encourage residents of Holland to attend the hearing and share verbal testimony.
Pride!
Happy Pride season from all of us here at the Unity Michigan Coalition! We will be out and about at Pride celebrations across the state this month, talking with folks about our Don’t Change Yourself, Change the Law campaign. Please click here to sign our pledge to educate yourself about pro-equality candidates in this fall’s elections, because nobody should have to change who they are to be treated fairly and equally here in Michigan.
Making the case for non-discrimination protections
The Center for American Progress, the Human Rights Campaign, and the Williams Institute have released a joint project: a document compiling the comprehensive research and analysis on federal workplace non-discrimination protections. It is a massive undertaking with a substantial body of resources.
Additional groups providing research to the document include: the ACLU, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Follow our campaign
Check out our campaign “Don’t Change Yourself, Change the Law” on Facebook and Twitter!
Follow @changethelaw on Twitter
