GOP Michigan Guv Backs LGBT Workplace Protections

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder speaks at the IDEAL Group Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014 in Detroit. Snyder announced a plan to ask the Obama administration to set aside thousands of work visas to entice talented immigrants to li... Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder speaks at the IDEAL Group Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014 in Detroit. Snyder announced a plan to ask the Obama administration to set aside thousands of work visas to entice talented immigrants to live and work in bankrupt Detroit. The Republican governor said he is seeking 50,000 work visas solely for the city over five years. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) MORE LESS
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Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) on Thursday urged the legislature to amend state civil rights law to include protections for gays and lesbians, according to Detroit News.

State law prohibits discrimination based on “religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status or marital status,” but not sexual orientation or gender identity, according to the Huffington Post.

“I don’t believe in discrimination,” Snyder told Crain’s Detroit Business. “I hope that’s something the Legislature will take up sometime this year.”

He did not say whether he would sign a bill if it passed in the legislature, according to Crain’s.

While Snyder signaled his support for gay rights, he has not taken a stance on same-sex marriage. When a federal court struck down the state’s ban on gay marriage, Snyder said he would follow court orders but declined to state his personal view.

“If a federal judge changes the law…then I’m going to follow what’s been redefined as the law,” he said in March. “So I am not spending time [on] the issue itself.”

In February however, Snyder’s office asked a judge to uphold Michigan’s ban on providing benefits to same-sex couples, arguing that it saved the state money.

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  1. Notice he didn’t say he would sign the bill. He knows this legislature in MI isn’t going to do anything of value for LGBT rights…so this is all more bullshit. The game he’s playing of pretending to be “moderate” is laughable. He just wants to get through a tough re-election.

    BTW, he just pissed off a bunch of progressives in the State by signing a bill raising the minimum wage in Michigan to only 9.25 in 3-1/2 years from now, scuttling a ballot proposal to raise the minimum wage to 10.10 much sooner. It would have brought out plenty of Dems to the polls in the midterms to be sure. That can’t happen now with the new law. Sad thing is…Dems signed onto that shit too, because a worse version was believed to have gone through the legislature without their input, which would have only raised the minimum wage to 8.50 I believe on the same timeline, without indexing it to inflation, as this new law does, with a maximum limit of up to 3.5%.

    I hate this Governor. He’s a phony corporatist phuck from day one.

  2. Exactly. He didn’t say he would sign the bill. Trying to have his cake and eat it, too.

    Won’t fool the gay community. The wingnuts already know he’s got their backs.

  3. Somebody’s been looking at his poll numbers…

  4. Avatar for marby marby says:

    Thanks for providing this background- he is really a snake and has been terrible for Michigan.

  5. I am with you on this. What a weasel. Would love to replace our Rep Al Pscholka who is going to be in the running for Speaker when Bolger hits the road which is bad news for the state. Snyder will say anything to save his job and then do his usual 180 degree flip the day after the election. Pathetic.

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