A new campaign aimed at ending anti-gay workplace discrimination from the Unity Michigan Coalition is telling residents “Don’t Change Yourself, Change The Law.”  According to their website, “In Michigan, if your employer even thinks you might be gay, you could lose your job.  The Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act, protects against workplace discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion and national origin. What it doesn’t do is extend those protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” Unity Michigan is trying to change that.

The new campaign offers a series of humorous, downloadable posters, desktop wallpapers and smartphone backgrounds mocking gender stereotypes.  One poster offering tips to gay men has this to say about facial hair: “If you’re not going with a full beard, you should go clean-shaven.  A manicured goatee says you care too much about grooming.  And says it with a lisp.”  Another with “not-gay interview tips for women” suggests, “Nothing says lesbian like comfortable shoes.  Learn to walk in four-inch heels.”

“We want to warn Michiganders that coming out may cost them their jobs,” said Jon Hoadley, director of The Unity Michigan Coalition in a telephone news conference.