LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Jennifer Granholm has issued an order banning discrimination against gays in state employment, a move critics condemned as a first step toward legalizing gay marriage.

The order covers the executive branch, which has about 55,000 employees — about 95 percent of all state workers.

“The employment practices of state government should promote public confidence in the fairness and integrity of government and should reflect a commitment to equal employment opportunities,” Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said in a news release.

Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan, told the Detroit Free Press the move “is simply the first step in a stepping stone strategy for legalizing homosexual marriage.”

The order bans discrimination based on sexual orientation. Michigan is the 10th state to adopt such a gay rights policy, according to the Triangle Foundation, a gay rights advocacy group.

Federal law prohibits discrimination based on race, age, religion and gender, but it does not cover sexual orientation.

“We are overjoyed by Governor Granholm’s executive directive,” foundation Executive Director Jeffrey Montgomery said in a statement. “The opportunities and protections this will afford gay, lesbian and bisexual people are direct reflections of the governor’s vision of an inclusive and fair Michigan and a state that appreciates and values all of its citizens.”

The foundation said it hopes the order will move the Michigan Legislature to amend state civil rights law to extend protection to gay people.

Granholm called for extending civil rights law protection to gays when she ran for governor in 2002. She also called for recognition of civil unions for same-sex couples.