Michigan Republicans on Wednesday proposed a long-awaited bill to prohibit discrimination against gays, though chances dimmed for legislative approval of the measure because of concerns that transgender people would not be protected.
Sponsored by Rep. Frank Foster and backed by House Speaker Jase Bolger, the bill would update Michigan’s civil rights law to include sexual orientation but not gender identity.
A coalition of business leaders and others has been lobbying to add legal protections for LGBT people as a way to attract talent to Michigan. Democrats in September introduced legislation to do so when Republicans delayed their own bills, in part because of a dispute over whether to include both sexual orientation and gender identity protections.
Two House committees will consider the bills in December, when the lame-duck session is expected to intensify.
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