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Michigan must work hard to reverse its embarrassing record on LGBT rights, MLive Media Group argues in its latest editorial.

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Michigan's gay rights record is an embarrassment.

We risk becoming the next state foisted into the national spotlight as a backward, unwelcoming place if our policymakers do not act swiftly to right the wrongs imposed on Michigan's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

It is shameful that our state does not have a law protecting LGBT residents from discrimination. It is inexcusable that, after seismic shifts in public opinion in the decade after voters approved a same-sex marriage prohibition, our attorney general still vigorously fights to preserve the discriminatory law. It is egregious that this state's Legislature works to enact laws that have great potential to be used as state-sanctioned discrimination cloaked in the guise of religious liberty.

Related: Michigan AG's legal team defends fight to uphold same-sex marriage ban

One proposal currently wending its way through the legislature would allow adoption agencies to refuse service on religious or moral grounds. Similarly, lawmakers have revived efforts to enact a Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Opponents of both measures worry that these statutes could be used to discriminate against the LGBT population.

Their fears are not misplaced. Indiana sparked swift and unrelenting backlash, including business boycotts, after its own Religious Freedom Restoration bill was signed into law. It was the clearest evidence yet that states must tread carefully when working to preserve religious liberty while protecting others against discrimination. It is an encouraging sign that Gov. Rick Snyder said he will veto any religious freedom legislation that does not include a companion proposal to protect civil rights. We urge him to stand firm and rally legislators around this point.

Michigan cannot become the next Indiana, which ultimately added LGBT protections to that state's own law after its passage sparked a furor. Lawmakers must act now to enshrine protections for LGBT residents in the state's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. At the same time, if Religious Freedom Restoration legislation is to proceed, it must unequivocally state that the statute could not be used to discriminate against anyone protected by Elliott-Larsen. What's more, our state must embrace the inevitability of legal gay marriage to repair the damage done by the wrong-headed defense of our ban in court. Upon the Supreme Court's decision, Michigan should clear the way for such marriages to occur.

Our state needs to send a loud and clear message that LGBT residents are welcome and respected here. They live, work and pay taxes. They contribute in innumerable ways to our economic recovery; in turn, they live in a state that does not allow them to marry whom they love and protect them from discrimination.

We risk substantial harm to our economic growth and ability to attract and retain talent if our state is seen as an unwelcome place for diverse families and workers. Michigan business leaders have recognized this, and many of our top companies have called for LGBT protections in Elliott-Larsen. These are vital steps that will make Michigan competitive among other states for top talent.

But, to be sure, it should not take a compelling business interest to protect our LGBT residents. It is, above all, human decency. Discrimination is not a Michigan value, and we must reverse the present course and work to show that our state is a welcoming place for all.

This is perhaps the most defining civil rights movement of our time. By failing to protect LGBT residents, our elected officials imperil the economic progress that's been made and send a message that Michigan is not interested in joining the 21st Century.

This is the opinion of the editorial board of MLive Media Group, the parent company of MLive.com. The board is made up of the company's executive leadership, content directors and editors who oversee the 10 local markets that make up MLive Media Group. See the full list of editorial board members.