LANSING, MI - When questioned Wednesday about his decision to appoint to the state Civil Rights Commission a Jackson pastor with a history of opposition to measures related to LGBT rights, Gov. Rick Snyder suggested the board would benefit from varying views.

"Hopefully we have a commission that is open to having open discussions on all different kinds of topics," Snyder said, responding to inquiries about Bishop Ira Combs Jr., a longtime Republican donor and supporter and founder and pastor of Greater Bible Way Temple Church of the Apostolic Faith in Jackson.

"And people can learn from having different perspectives."

Snyder noted Combs' track record on racial issues and helping people with disabilities. "He's done some good things there to help support people," Snyder said at a meeting to present the fiscal year 2019 budget proposal.

"Let's see his service on the commission."

The governor's office last week announced Combs' and two other appointments - Stacie Clayton of Detroit, who has worked for Snyder on urban initiatives, and former state Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith, a South Lyon Democrat - to the board, charged with protecting civil rights and investigating alleged acts of discrimination.

Democratic lawmakers; Equality Michigan, an LGBT rights advocacy group; and the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan quickly condemned the Combs selection, made as the commission continues to consider whether the state civil rights act's prohibition on sex discrimination extends to LGBT residents.

"If Gov. Snyder was looking for a person more hostile towards LGBT Michiganders, he would be hard pressed to find anyone who exceeds Mr. Combs record," reads a statement from Equality Michigan, which called Combs an "anti-LGBT activist."

Combs, a social conservative, is opposed to gay marriage and disapproved of Jackson's controversial nondiscrimination ordinance, which bans disparate treatment based on gender identity or sexual orientation. After much debate, it passed last year.

He said he believes in "traditional marriage values," but does not support discrimination. He believes a person's religious beliefs should not trump the Constitution or the law. "It is inappropriate to discriminate against any person because of your religious views when they are operating in a secular, progressive environment," Combs said on Friday.

Combs defended his qualifications. As an activist, he started speaking out against discrimination in Jackson's bank lending policies in the late 1980s. He pushed for more minorities in the Jackson area's mental health system and encouraged banks to make more low-income and minority loans.

Now, involved in community management, he is founder and executive director of Christ Centered Homes Inc., which provides residential services to those with disabilities and mental illness. His corporation hires and supports and he has sit on boards promoting LGBT community members, he said.

Combs' positions date back to the 1970s, when he opposed a gay candidate for student body president at Michigan State University.

In 2005, his church hosted a gathering titled "The homosexual agenda."

"We are not bashing and hate-mongering," he said at the time. "But we certainly are not standing for marriage to be changed, sodomy laws to be rescinded or laws to be changed so people can have sex in public. There are some standards of decency here."

Combs has a long history of financially supporting Republican candidates, including Attorney General Bill Schuette, campaigning for governor; U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton; and failed U.S. Senate candidate Terri Lynn Land. He served on former Gov. John Engler's clergy cabinet and Engler appointed him in 1999 to the Michigan Child Abuse and Prevention Board. For former President George W. Bush, he was state director of faith-based initiatives.

MLive Capitol Reporter Emily Lawler contributed to this report.