19 September 2023

Microaggressions and Unlawful Discrimination

An employee tells a colleague that he doesn’t even look gay. Another employee continuously mispronounces a colleague’s name because it’s too hard to say correctly. A female employee is constantly interrupted while speaking at a meeting. Although microaggressions may appear to be harmless or in some cases intended to be a compliment, they often stem […]

13 September 2023

Episode 49 – Lizzo Lawsuit Lessons Part 2...

Miller Johnson attorneys Rebecca Strauss and Sarah Willey continue their discussion about the lawsuit dancers have filed against music star Lizzo, including whether religion should be discussed in the workplace, rules around bathroom breaks and talking about performance issues. You can also listen to this and future episodes by subscribing to the “Lawyers Off the […]

25 July 2023

The CROWN’s Momentum

Earlier this summer, Governor Whitmer signed into effect the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act. The Act amended the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act’s (ELCRA) definition of “race.” Now, ELCRA’s prohibition against race discrimination includes “traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles.” The […]

18 April 2023

New Court Ruling Means Religious Employers in M...

A recent decision from West Michigan’s federal district court may have shed light on a minor mystery that’s puzzled a number of faith-based nonprofits and businesses in Michigan over the years: with no explicit protections for them in Michigan’s civil rights law,* why have they never been prosecuted for religious discrimination under state law? The […]

Signing Petition
16 January 2020

Ballot Initiative Pushes to Prohibit Discrimina...

A new front opened up recently in the fight over protections for LGBTQ employees in the workplace.  A group called Fair and Equal Michigan launched a ballot initiative to broaden Michigan’s civil rights laws to include protection of people from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender in employment, housing, and public accommodations.  If the […]

SCOTUS
03 October 2019

U.S. Supreme Court to Provide Clarity on LGBT P...

On October 8, 2019, the United States Supreme Court is set to hear a trio of cases that present related questions about the scope of Title VII, the federal civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination in employment.  The consolidated case of Zarda v. Altitude Express and Bostock v. Clayton County will determine whether sexual orientation […]