LGBTQ rights in Michigan
LGBTQ rights in Michigan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Legal since 2003 (Lawrence v. Texas) |
| Gender identity | — |
| Discrimination protections | Within Government employment only (see below) |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | None |
| Restrictions | Michigan State Proposal – 04-2 (2004) limits marriage to man/woman, places restrictions on non-marriage types of same-sex unions |
| Adoption | — |
The Michigan constitution bans same-sex marriage and places restrictions towards the forming of same-sex unions.
Laws against same-sex intimate contact
Same-sex sexual acts are legal in Michigan, previously criminalized until the state's sodomy laws (which applied to both homosexuals and heterosexuals), were struck down in 2003 by the United States Supreme Court in Lawrence v. Texas.
Recognition of same-sex relationships
In 2004, voters approved a constitutional amendment, Michigan State Proposal - 04-2, that banned same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state. It passed with 58.6% of the vote. The Michigan Supreme Court later ruled that public employers in Michigan would not be legally allowed to grant domestic partnership benefits based on the recently passed measure.[1]
The public opinion has changed since 2004. A June 2009 poll showed a substantial shift in opinions towards the legal recognition of same-sex unions in Michigan, with 63.7% of residents supporting civil unions for same-sex couples and 46.5% of residents supporting full marriage rights for same-sex couples.[2]
On June 13, 2009, at an LGBT rally in Lansing, state representative Pam Byrnes, a Democrat, announced plans to introduce legislation that would pave the way for amending the state constitution to allow same-sex marriage.
Discrimination protections
Currently, there is a Michigan Government Order that Government employment is protected on the basis of a persons sexual orientation or gender identity. However there are no laws based on a persons sexual orientation or gender identity within Michigan outside of Government employment.[3]
Hate crimes
According to multiple gay rights groups operating in Michigan, anti-gay hate crimes had a 133% increase in 2008.[4]
See also
- Politics of Michigan
- LGBT rights in the United States
- Rights and responsibilities of marriages in the United States
References
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