National Black Justice Coalition Calls SCOTUS Decision in Anti-Gay Discrimination Case a Significant Blow to LGBTQ+ Civil Rights
CONTACT: Jordan Wilhelmi | jordan@unbendablemedia.com
WASHINGTON — Following the Supreme Court’s decision in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, siding with a Colorado business in allowing it to discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community based on religious beliefs, Dr. David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), a leading Black LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, issued this statement:
“Today’s decision is a significant blow to the civil rights and liberties of the LGBTQ+/SGL community, undoing meaningful progress towards equality and justice. The decision sends a distressing signal that business owners’ religious beliefs can be used as a license to discriminate, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and further marginalizing a vulnerable community.
“It is important to recognize that this decision not only affects the LGBTQ+ community but also has far-reaching implications for the broader civil rights of all marginalized communities that have dealt with our country’s long history of prejudice and inequity. The decision threatens the progress towards achieving full equality, creates a climate of uncertainty and fear for LGBTQ+ individuals who already face significant discrimination and violence when simply trying to live their lives, and, as a result, weakens democracy.
“The anti-democratic, segregationist, white nationalistic Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is party to this case, has a well-documented history of using legal strategies to erode LGBTQ+ rights, perpetuating discrimination and stigmatization. A perilous precedent is set when the ADF is allowed to manufacture a case in search of a solution to a problem that doesn’t even exist for the plaintiff, undermining the principles of justice, equality, and nondiscrimination that are the bedrock of our nation.
“We call on lawmakers and advocates to pass legislation that preserves and affirms the rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, alongside our other constitutional protections not below them. We urge everyone who believes in equality and justice to join us in pushing back against these regressive attacks on our communities by contacting your congressional representatives and encouraging them to modernize and make fully inclusive our nation’s civil rights laws by sending President Biden the Equality Act to sign into law.”