Key takeaways from AG Dana Nessel at the LGBTQ+ Rights deliberative dialogue organized by Pioneers Rising
By: Issa Longstreet
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – Pioneers Rising’s latest event, a panel with LGBTQ+ community leaders and Attorney General Dana Nessel, offered perspective and legal context addressing recent executive orders.
Nessel spoke on key issues and answered questions from the audience regarding protections and rights for the LGBTQ+ community. This comes amid a string of attacks and rollbacks since Donald Trump’s second term started in January.
“This is a terrifying moment for the LGBTQ community,” Nessel said, referencing federal actions that target the LGBTQ+ community, such as the recent transgender military ban.
Nessel said that same-sex marriage could soon come before the Supreme Court following the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. She said 2015’s Obergefelle v. Hodges kept Michigan and 34 other states from same-sex marriage bans, and if it is overturned a ban in Michigan would go back into effect.
She said a ballot proposal would be needed to appeal the ban and would need signatures of at least 10% of people who voted in the last gubernatorial election.
The Attorney General also spoke on school curriculum. She discussed a court case regarding parents who wanted to be able to remove their student from lessons involving LGBTQ-inclusive topics.
“It’s irresponsible to ignore or distort the facts of history; it undermines the goals of public education,” Nessel said.
The decision from the Supreme Court is expected sometime this summer, according to Nessel.
Another point of contention was the attempted removal and erasure of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in schools.
“Ongoing legal battles are proving it’s difficult to define DEI,” Nessel said.
She said it’s also difficult for DEI bans to be enforced in schools.
Then came the topic of transgender athletes in sports, a hot-button issue across the country.
“Currently, trans athletes account for only two out of 175,000 athletes that compete under the MHSAA,” Nessel pointed out.
On a larger scale, there are 10 known transgender athletes in the NCAA, which has 510,000 athletes, accounting for 0.002% of the total. The MHSAA released a statement claiming it was not in a position to change its standards due to the recent actions in legislation.
Nessel also discussed gender-affirming healthcare options. Trump has signed multiple executive orders that would limit gender-affirming healthcare options for minors and has threatened to pull federal funding from healthcare facilities and providers who do so.
“Denying care based on a protected class of status violates Michigan’s civil rights act,” Nessel said in reference to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which went into effect in 1977.
The Attorney General spoke on Corewell Health, Michigan’s largest healthcare provider, which announced it wouldn’t treat new minor patients seeking gender-affirming care. On Feb. 7, Nessel shared an open letter reminding healthcare providers that transgender patients are protected under Michigan anti-discrimination laws. Corewell Health reversed its decision upon receiving the letter.
Conversion therapy is also among the legislative battles, with Chiles v. Salazar being reviewed by the Supreme Court. Michigan was the 26th state to ban conversion therapy. The ban has since been challenged and appealed after Kaley Chiles, a Colorado therapist, argued the ban on conversion therapy for minors violates the First Amendment. A decision on Chiles v. Salazar is expected in 2026.
