MI Democratic Gov. Signs Non-Discrimination Directive With No Religious Loophole
By Hemant Mehta, January 8, 2019

While the Republican-run federal government remains a sinking ship, there’s a lot of good news to be found in Democratic-run state governments. In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination among state employees and job applicants. That includes people hired by outside groups working on a state contract.

Today at @GoAffirmations in Ferndale, I signed ED 2019-9 focused on strengthening non-discrimination in state employment, contracting, and services. This includes prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. pic.twitter.com/BP8pBSMGLy

— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) January 7, 2019

While her GOP predecessor Rick Snyder signed a similar directive last month before leaving office, Whitmer’s went further because it doesn’t include an exemption for religious organizations. So if the state hires a Christian non-profit group to provide services of any kind, that group can’t discriminate against LGBTQ people while using their faith as a legal shield.