Michigan LGBT+ Policy Progress

Before 1970: Foundation & Resistance

• 1931: Michigan enacts a sodomy law, criminalizing consensual same-sex relations.

• 1950s–60s: LGBTQ+ people face job loss and surveillance during the Lavender Scare. Queer communities in Detroit and Ann Arbor begin organizing underground.

• Late 1960s: Early LGBTQ+ student activism begins at University of Michigan and Michigan State University.

1970s: Local Firsts

• 1972: East Lansing becomes the first U.S. city to pass an ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.

• 1978: Ann Arbor adds sexual orientation to its non-discrimination ordinance.

1980s–1990s: Local Protections Expand

• 1980s–90s: Cities including Lansing, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and others pass inclusive local ordinances.

• 1991: Ann Arbor becomes one of the first to offer domestic partner benefits.

2000s: Legal Recognition & Backlash

• Early 2000s: Some Michigan cities recognize domestic partnerships for LGBTQ+ city employees.

• 2004: Voters pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and similar unions (Proposal 2).

• 2008–09: Advocacy organizations begin pushing back against the constitutional ban and pushing for statewide protections.

2010s: Civil Rights Momentum

• 2014: DeBoer v. Snyder challenges Michigan’s marriage ban. A judge strikes down the ban temporarily, and 300+ couples marry before the ruling is stayed.

• 2015: U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges legalizes same-sex marriage nationwide.

• 2018: Michigan Civil Rights Commission interprets the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) to include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

• 2019: Michigan reforms outdated HIV criminalization laws. New law centers actual transmission risk and eliminates blanket felony charges for people living with HIV.
  
  

2020s: Legislative Wins & Legal Protections

• 2021: State restores LGBTQ+ adoption and foster care rights; affirms U=U (undetectable = untransmittable) science in public health policies.

• 2022: Gov. Whitmer issues executive directive ensuring no state funds go to organizations that discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.

• 2023:

  • ELCRA is officially amended to explicitly protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

  • Michigan bans conversion therapy for minors — joining over 20 other states in outlawing the harmful practice.

• 2024–25:

  • Assisted Reproduction & Surrogacy Parentage Act (ARSPA) is passed and takes effect April 1, 2025.

    • Legalizes compensated surrogacy in Michigan.

    • Allows same-sex couples using assisted reproduction or surrogacy to both be listed on the birth certificate at birth.

    • Streamlines family formation for LGBTQ+ parents through pre-birth orders and informed consent.

In Progress / Advocacy Focus Areas

• Expanding access to gender-affirming care.

• Protecting LGBTQ+ youth in schools from discriminatory policies.

• Inclusive data collection in state health and demographic surveys.

• Trans-inclusive identification laws (e.g., non-binary "X" on driver's licenses and birth certificates—currently possible by administrative change but advocates seek permanence).