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According to some legal experts, a recently approved bill in Michigan could make it a felony to intentionally use the erroneous gender pronouns to intimidate someone.
The Michigan House of Representatives has passed bill HB 4474, which criminalizes making someone feel threatened by words.
Offenders are “guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 5 years or by a fine of not more than $10,000,” according to the new bill.
The Michigan House of Representatives has passed legislation that would make it a crime to use someone else’s chosen pronouns in a way that “intimidates” them.
“‘Intimidate’ means a willful course of conduct involving repeated or continuing harassment of another individual that would cause a reasonable individual to feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened, and that actually causes the victim to feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened,” according to the bill.
“Sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” are specifically mentioned as protected classes in the measure.
According to the legislation, “‘Gender identity or expression’ means having or being perceived as having a gender-related self-identity or expression, whether or not associated with an individual’s assigned sex at birth.”
Critics claim that the bill violates the First Amendment.
“There is no doubt about that. Those who advocate for this law “will use these policies as a weapon capable of destroying conservative expression or viewpoints grounded in the sacred,” according to Distinguished Professor Emeritus William Wagner, as quoted by the media outlet The Daily Wire.
“The state of Michigan has now officially allowed gender delusion to be invoked as a ‘protected class.’ The law “raises numerous issues regarding the courts and the continued weaponization of the system against conservatives,” said State Rep. Angela Rigas.
“We saw similar concerns when they wanted to pass blocks on ‘conversion’ therapy,” she continued. Democrats appear to want to be in the business of instructing people how to think.”
The law was approved by a 59-50 vote in the Democratic-controlled state House. It will now be considered by the Michigan State Senate.
If the state senate approves it, it will be sent to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is expected to sign it.