The 1963 Michigan Constitution provides for a general guarantee of equal protection of the law in Article 1, sec. 2 which states: “No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws; nor shall any person be denied the enjoyment of his civil or political rights or be discriminated against in the exercise thereof because of religion, race, color or national origin.”
There is an obvious need for amendment. The stated protection fails to extend to women or members of the LGBT community.
The Michigan Constitution is a People’s Constitution. It was created by the people and for the people. The voters can place a constitutional amendment on the ballot by obtaining a petition signed by 315,654 residents.
Fair Michigan is a non-profit organization whose members are dedicated to ensuring equality and fair treatment of all the State’s residents. Fair Michigan has proposed to the voters an amendment of Article 1, sec.2 to read as follows: “No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws; nor shall any person be denied the enjoyment of his or her civil or political rights or be discriminated against in the exercise thereof because of religion, race, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin. The legislature shall implement this section by appropriate legislation. When used in laws of this state prohibiting discriminatory practices or policies based upon sex, race, and other factors, ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ shall be construed to include sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Most Michigan citizens claim to support the idea of expanded protection and deserve a constitution which reflect their values. However, this amendment cannot become a reality without the support of the people. I would implore those in support of this amendment to contact Fair Michigan at [email protected] or 248-335-5000 and contact the ACLU to ask them to support the Amendment.