Update from the Michigan Project for Informed Public Policy (MPIPP)
A cooperative program of the Michigan Psychological Association, the MPA Foundation, The American Psychological Association and The Rockway Institute at Alliant International University.

8/14/09

From Sara Van Wormer, Project Coordinator

A committee hearing on House Bill 4192 (often referred to as “Elliott-Larsen”) is scheduled for Wednesday, August 26th in Lansing. Introduced by Rep. Rebekah Warren (D) on February 6th, this bill would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” to the characteristics that define membership in a group against whom it is a crime to discriminate under the Michigan civil rights law. This would make it a crime to deny employment, housing, use of public accommodations, public services, and educational facilities to another person on the basis of a perception that the person has a particular sexual orientation or gender identity.adopted a resolution last Wednesday stating that mental health professionals should avoid telling clients that they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treatments. The “Resolution on Appropriate Affirmative Responses to Sexual Orientation Distress and Change Efforts” also advises that parents, guardians, young people and their families avoid sexual orientation treatments that portray homosexuality as a mental illness or developmental disorder and instead seek psychotherapy, social support and educational services “that provide accurate information on sexual orientation and sexuality, increase family and school support and reduce rejection of sexual minority youth.”

Please feel free to read more…..

ACLU of Michigan has reached out to us at MPIPP in search of volunteers that would be willing to testify at this hearing. Comments at these hearings are usually restricted to about 5 minutes. I am currently developing some testimony that speaks to the psychological harm to both LGBT people and the community at-large when discrimination is not prohibited. I can make this material available to you if you are interested in testifying. Please contact me if you can attend.

In other news, we are continuing to monitor the latest developments with the Kalamazoo Anti-Discrimination Ordinance. The ordinance will now be put on the November ballot, and Kalamazoo residents will decide if the ordinance (which protects gay and transgender residents from being discriminated against in employment, housing and public accommodations) will be implemented. We continue to collaborate with Kalamazoo organizations that are supportive of the ordinance.

As you may have heard, the American Psychological Association

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE THAT SEXUAL ORIENTATION CHANGE EFFORTS WORK, SAYS APA – Practitioners Should Avoid Telling Clients They Can Change from Gay to Straight

http://www.apa.org/releases/therapeutic.html

Finally, we are pleased to announce the recent addition of several new volunteers to our project. These new volunteers include those that have experience working with African American LGBT youth and adults and those that work with gay and transgender folks in rural settings. We are very happy to welcome these new voices on board!

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Sara Van Wormer, MA
Project Coordinator
Michigan Project for Informed Public Policy
www.mpipp.org