Civil Rights Commission Poised To Seek AG’s Opinion On LGBT Protections

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(Warren, MI – AP) – The Michigan Civil Rights Commission is poised to ask the new attorney general to reconsider her predecessor’s opinion that state law doesn’t protect LGBT people from discrimination. The commission will decide Monday whether to make the request to Attorney General Dana Nessel at its scheduled meeting in the Detroit suburb of Warren.

The commission in July directed the Michigan Department of Civil Rights to continue investigating complaints based on sexual orientation and gender identity, despite then-Attorney General Bill Schuette’s opinion. He said last year the board overstepped when it said the state’s civil rights law covered those categories. Department director Agustin Arbulu said last year the commission wasn’t bound by Schuette’s opinion. Schuette’s office said it was binding on state agencies. Nessel’s office declined to comment before receiving a request.