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Southwest Michigan Today For Tuesday, November 14, 2017

The Michigan Civil Rights Commission stays out of the debate over whether LGBT people are already protected from discrimination in the state's civil rights law. WMU gets a bye for the first round of the NCAA men's soccer tournament. The Broncos suffer their first loss of the men's basketball season. 

The Michigan Civil Rights Commission has again tabled a request to issue an opinion on whether the word "sex" in the state’s anti-discrimination law applies to sexual orientation and gender identity. The group Equality Michigan requested the “interpretive statement” from the Civil Rights Commission on whether the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act protects LGBT people against discrimination. Members of the commission say they decided to table the issue because they could not reach consensus on any single action. An advisory opinion from the Michigan Attorney General’s office says the commission doesn’t have the authority to interpret the law. In a statement, Equality Michigan’s Director of Public Policy Nathan Triplett says they will explore every avenue, including legal action against the commission to secure non-discrimination against Michigan’s LGBT citizens.

Western Michigan has a bye for the first round of the NCAA men’s soccer tournament. The Broncos are the 10th seed in the 48 team field, which was announced yesterday. Western will host a second round match at the WMU Soccer Complex on Sunday at one o’clock. The Broncos will face the winner of Thursday’s first round match between Maryland and Albany.

Western Michigan suffered its first loss of the men’s basketball season. The Broncos fell at South Carolina Monday night 78-60. Thomas Wilder led Western with 23 points, Josh Davis scored 11 and Bryce Moore added 10. The Broncos have split their first two games of the season, and will play Tulsa Thursday in Myrtle Beach.

Western Michigan senior running back Jarvion Franklin has been named the Mid-American Conference West Division’s offensive player of the week. Franklin ran for 191 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos 48-20 win over Kent State last week. Western will play at Northern Illinois tomorrow night. The game begins at seven o’clock and can be seen on ESPN2.

Western Michigan’s Ben Blacker has been named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s goaltender of the week. Blacker made a total of 66 saves in two games against Minnesota-Duluth this past weekend, including 31 in a 5-0 shutout of the Bulldogs on Saturday. The Broncos host Omaha Friday and Saturday night at Lawson Ice Arena.