MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Michigan is one of 29 states where it is legal to fire employees for being gay, and one of 35 states where it is legal to fire employees because they are transgender.

Elected officials in Meridian Township and other Michigan communities are trying to change that by signing the Local Electeds Against Discrimination, or LEAD, statement.

The statement is a push to amend the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1976. That act protects individuals from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations based on religion, race, color, national origin, and other characteristics, but does not include protections for discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

Meridian Township Trustee Angela Wilson, who is spearheading efforts to include the LGBT community in township policies, says that there are economic benefits in doing so.

“People, if they don't feel welcome, if they have fear of losing a job because of who they are or who they love, or they get fired from a job because of those reasons, they don't want to be here. And there's plenty of places around the country that we're competing with for that talented, knowledge-based workforce,” said Wilson.

Eighteen Michigan cities already have non-discrimination protections for gay and transgender individuals in their laws. Meridian Township Treasurer Julie Brixie, and more than 100 other elected officials from across the state have signed the LEAD statement to advocate for the rights of those residents in their own communities.