In 2023, the State of Michigan passed PA 117 and PA 118, banning conversion therapy for minors. Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties, a nonprofit that “carries out the work of the Roman Catholic Church,” and Emily McJones, a Lansing-based therapist who provides evidence-based treatments that is faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church, brought suit claiming the ban is too broad and violates the constitutional rights of counselors. The plaintiffs said they have...
Our Voices
LaNesha Matthews and Kyresha LeFever were a same-sex couple who had twins together using assisted reproduction. Their children were conceived using Kyresha’s eggs, and LaNesha gave birth, a process sometimes called egg sharing or reciprocal IVF. The parents broke up when the twins were young but coparented and shared custody for years until a dispute arose when the twins were 5-years-old. Kyresha sought shared custody, which the trial court initially granted after determining that Kyresha is a...
On June 15, 2020, in a landmark ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court decided 6-3 that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in the workplace, protects LGBTQ employees. The Court’s ruling established that Title VII’s sex discrimination provisions also protect workers from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. The decision has broad implications for many aspects of federal anti-discrimination law, because other federal...
Jane Doe is the mother of three children in a rural community in the Midwest. From a young age, Jane’s middle child expressed that they may be transgender. Jane sought the advice of professionals on how to respond to her child’s statements. Those professionals reiterated the importance of supporting the child. Following that advice, Jane started using a new name for her child and bought the child clothes that were more consistent with the child’s gender identity. The local...
