Equality Michigan awarded $50,000 to educate the public on gay and transgender discrimination

Equality Michigan, the statewide gay and transgender advocacy organization, has received a $50,000 grant to educate Michiganders on discrimination in employment and housing. The organization will use the funds to educate citizens about non-discrimination ordinances around the state.
"This grant will allow us to expand our reach and support local activists who want to make changes where they live," said Executive Director Denise Brogan-Kator. "Recent organizing efforts in Kalamazoo and Holland show how committed residents are to making their cities inclusive and fair. Right now, under state law, it remains legal to fire an employee or evict a tenant based on sexual orientation or gender identity. That means you could lose your job if your boss thinks you're gay. Nobody should have to live in fear that they can be legally fired for reasons that have nothing to do with their job performance. I'm excited to help activists develop pro-equality policies that help gay and transgender Michiganders thrive in their workplaces and communities."
Michigan lawmakers have refused to update state law to prohibit such discrimination. Simultaneously, public opinion polling shows that the majority of Michigan voters support inclusive nondiscrimination law. Eighteen Michigan municipalities already have local ordinances on the books that address anti-gay and anti-transgender discrimination in some form. However, these laws vary widely, are difficult to enforce and do not offer the significant legal remedies that state law would allow for.
The grant to Equality Michigan was awarded by the Tides Foundation's State Equality Fund, a philanthropic partnership that includes the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, the Gill Foundation, an anonymous donor, Open Society Foundations and the Ford Foundation.
Equality Michigan – formerly the Triangle Foundation – works to achieve full equality and respect for all people in the state of Michigan regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. For more information, visit http://www.equalitymi.org.