LANSING, Mich.—Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has issued an order that bars discrimination against state workers based on their “gender identity or expression,” which protects the rights of those who behave, dress or identify as members of the opposite sex.

The order, which Granholm signed Nov. 21, adds gender identity to a list of other prohibited grounds for discrimination that includes religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, height, weight, marital status, politics, disability or genetic information.

“State employment practices and procedures that encourage nondiscriminatory and equal employment practices provide desirable models for the private sector and local governments,” says the resolution.

The Triangle Foundation, a Michigan-based group advocating rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, praised Granholm’s action.

“Coming out as transgender is a career-ender. Transgendered people lose their jobs all the time,” foundation policy director Sean Kosofsky told the Detroit Free Press.