On 14 August, Jackson City’s Commission voted to take up the issue of an inclusive and equal non-discrimination ordinance. They would be joining a dozen cities in Michigan who have this kind of ordinance. Equality Michigan praised the efforts to have a ban on discrimination against people based upon their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

EQMI wrote:

A recent poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research shows that 73% of likely voters in the 2012 election support efforts to ban discrimination of LGBT people. The same poll showed that while the federal government, Michigan and many other states do not provide such protections, 80% of respondents inaccurately believed such protections were already in place on a federal level.

“The evidence is overwhelming that voters believe LGBT people deserve the same legal protections as any other population under threat of discrimination,” said Roland Leggett II, director of field organizing for Equality Michigan. “While the anti-LGBT industry continues to fill their coffers by telling their donors distorted versions of history and falsely claiming these are special rights, the reality is voters are tired of their lies and are ready for equal protection for all people in Michigan.”

Leaders of Michigan’s anti-LGBT industry unsuccessfully tried to derail Tuesday’s vote and have threaten to launch a smear campaign against Jackson’s city commissioners. While no one representing those organizations were present for the vote, they sent a threatening and misleading email to city commissioners in the days letting up to the meeting.