The passage of a ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing and the workplace in Kalamazoo, Mich., still leaves workers vulnerable to being fired because they are gay or lesbian because the state is one of 29 without such anti-bias protections on the books. But laws such as these serve a larger purpose, according to Bernadette Brown, policy director of the Triangle Foundation.
"They acknowledge that LGBT people are valuable members of the community, and that our risk of discrimination and harassment is increased simply because of who we are, and that's unfair," Brown said.
