Near the end of March, legislators and the governor of North Carolina jammed through the now infamous HB2 “bathroom bill” mandating that transgender people use only those restrooms that match their assigned sex at birth.  Immediately, there was uproar from business, LGBTQ advocates, constitutional law scholars and everyday ordinary people, who saw through the ridiculous idea that transgender people are somehow dangerous and need to be swept into segregated sp

Does religious freedom include the right to discriminate? The first amendment says you and your religious exercise are protected rights. But practicing your faith can’t come at the expense of other people’s well-being, public safety, and taxpayer dollars.

When I began writing a series of stories chronicling the lives of transgender people, my goal was to help educate the public. Yet I’m learning just as much in the process.

It’s humbling how willing these people have been to share their deeply personal stories, but not necessarily surprising. After all, coming out as transgender — which means living as your authentic self, regardless of the gender you’re assigned at birth — requires an enormous amount of honesty and courage.

It’s no secret that transgender people are becoming more visible on a national stage. There’s actress Laverne Cox, reality star Caitlyn Jenner, and even shows like "Transparent" that try with honest intentions to shine some much-needed light on the issues that affect the trans community the most. These are all good things, of course. 

ACLU at the Michigan Capitol – April 7, 2016

With the state legislature on a two-week spring break, it’s an opportune time to talk about other avenues of lobbying around which the ACLU of Michigan organizes our policy efforts. Having support from elected House and Senate members is crucial to passing legislation that furthers our policy goals, and gaining that support often looks much more like a road map than simply checking off a list of supportive legislators.

Amy Hunter, Coordinator of the ACLU Transgender Advocacy Project, today issued the following statement addressing the State of Michigan Board of Education Statement and Guidance on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students.

We strongly urge that the Michigan Department of Education adopt in full the draft guidelines from the State Board of Education and that local school districts statewide implement them.

Jenna Sehl, a transgender woman, has health insurance coverage with Priority Health, which participates in the health insurance marketplace under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Although the ACA prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex and gender identity, Priority Health is one of several health insurance companies with a policy of not covering any transgender health-related services, including hormone replacement therapy and gender confirmation surgery, even when a physician determines that they are medically necessary treatments for a diagnosis of gende

Karen Hannant and her partner were one of the 300 couples legally married in Michigan on March 21, 2014, when Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage was ruled unconstitutional. Hannant’s employer Heritage Academies provides spousal benefits for its married employees, including health insurance coverage. When Hannant requested that her spouse be covered, Heritage told her that they would only recognize marriages between opposite-sex couples. 

ACLU at the Michigan Capitol – February 8, 2016

This week as the legislature begins to move bills through the legislative process, below are three specific areas where our supporters can be impactful:

The following is an excerpt from the "Great, Not Big" blog, which is authored by Carl Erickson, CEO and cofounder of Atomic Object, a software product development company with offices in Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor. Atomic Object is a member of the Michigan Competitive Workforce Coalition, co-founded by the ACLU of Michigan with the goal of updating Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) to include sexual orientation and gender identity.