WASHINGTON – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) condemned Michigan Governor Rick Snyder for signing a package of extreme anti-LGBT adoption bills into law. In the name of “religious freedom,” the dangerously broad bills have enshrined special taxpayer-funded discrimination into Michigan law and permit rampant discrimination against committed and loving LGBT couples, putting thousands of Michigan children at risk of not finding the loving homes that they need.
“Governor Rick Snyder has proven today that he has utter disdain for the welfare of children in Michigan and that he cares only about empowering backwards discrimination,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “This legislation keeps children in need out of the loving homes they deserve, and it sets this great state back decades.”
Working in coordination with the ACLU of Michigan and Equality Michigan, HRC first sounded the alarm on these anti-LGBT adoption bills in December of last year, again in April, and activated our members and supporters in the state to contact their representatives to vote against these dangerous bills. HRC also organized a coalition of major child advocacy groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the Child Welfare League of America, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the National Education Association, to speak out against these extreme anti-LGBT adoption bills. The new law could also be used as an excuse to discriminate against other minorities and groups in addition to the LGBT community. It would also allow a religious adoption agency from a non-Christian faith to deny service to a straight, Christian couple. A single parent seeking to foster a child in need could be turned away no questions asked.
