BY BTL STAFF
ANN ARBOR – Leaders in the LGBT community and co-chair of the ballott committee Fair Michigan will meet for the first community conversation at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 at Washtenaw Community College to discuss Fair Michigan, a ballot proposal for the 2016 election that, if passed by voters, would add sexual orientation and gender identity and expression to a list of protected classes in state law.
The ballot measure was introduced October 30 by Dana Nessel, co-counsel for April and Jayne DeBoer, the plaintiff couple in the Michigan same-sex marriage case. If passed, the ballot would add sexual orientation and gender identity and expression to the equal protection clause of the Michigan constitution and would direct the state Legislature to update all laws to comply, including the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.
Members of the LGBT community have been calling for a seat at the planning table since Nessel announced the bipartisan committee earlier this year. Seventeen LGBT rights organizations and individuals in the state signed a letter soon after the announcement, calling for Nessel and her team to collaborate with LGBT organizations as the measure moves forward. This meeting will be the first time Fair Michigan and the LGBT community will both sit down to publicly discuss the proposal.
A panel of speakers will discuss Fair Michigan and the current efforts to get the measure passed in November 2016. Speaking on the panel will Dana Nessel, co-chair of Fair Michigan and advocates from the transgender community. Sandi Smith, president of the Jim Toy Community Center from 2013-2014, will serve as moderator. State Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, and state Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, will speak about the viability of a legislative option to add protections for the LGBT community into state law.
The event will be held at Washtenaw Community College's Morris Lawrence Building in Room 101. WCC is located at 4800 E. Huron River Dr. in Ann Arbor. The event is free and open to the public.
Editors note: This article has been corrected to show that Mark Schauer and Stephanie White will not be on the panel as previously reported.
