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The state's Senate majority leader wanted a disclaimer that referred to LGBTQ+ people's "lifestyle."
The Michigan state Senate Tuesday blocked a resolution that would recognize June as Pride Month in the state.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, a Republican, wanted to remove parts of the resolution that addressed the struggles endured by the Michigan LGBTQ+ community, according to Axios.
Sen. Jeremy Moss, the first out gay person in the Michigan Senate, told the outlet, "This is clearly an intentional target against our community. This isn't just me decrying it from within the community -- it's plain for anyone to see."
Moss cosponsored the bill, along with all Senate Democrats and three Republican senators.
The resolution would have declared June 2022 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month, according to local news outlet Bridge Michigan.
Shirkey was working to add the following language to the bill: "Though not every citizen in Michigan agrees with the lifestyle of the LGBT community, it is agreed that every life is special, precious, unique, and loved by the creator, and each person is created in God's image."
Moss said the change was "negative" and implied that being queer was an option for people.
"[Republicans'] agenda is to make you fear the gay agenda," Moss told the Senate, Axios reports. "I will not be gaslit that this is my problem."
He added that Senate Republicans had chosen to "exploit divisiveness" leading up to this year's elections.
Sen. Wayne Schmidt, a Republican, told Bridge Michigan he hopes the resolution returns for a vote.
"While it has gone to [committee], I am hoping that my colleagues on that committee vote it out and that we can have a vote on it again on the Senate floor and pass the resolution. That's my goal," he said.
In a statement, Shirkey said that he made suggestions to the sponsor of the bill that he believed would make the resolution "more reflective of the diversity of opinions in the Senate."
Both the Michigan House and Senate approved the resolution last year with the same wording, which was a first for the GOP-led legislature.
Shirkey sent this year's bill back to the government operations committee, where proposals often are blocked, Axios notes.
