The U.S. Supreme Court took a giant step backwards in civil rights today by supporting LGBTQ discrimination in the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission with a vote of 7-2. Nick Little, Center for Inquiry Legal Director
stated, “The Supreme Court missed a major chance today to reaffirm decades of civil rights jurisprudence. Jack Phillips opens his business to the public. He doesn’t get to decide to refuse to serve gay people, or interracial couples, or people of different religions. The Court has focused on comments made in the state proceedings & in so doing has granted privilege based on religion. Phillips received a fair hearing by both the commission & the appeals court. An individual’s displeasure that religion should be used as an excuse to discriminate against LGBTQ citizens doesn’t change that. The underlying facts of this case are clear. Religious preferences don’t provide businesses an excuse to ignore civil rights legislation. It’s just a shame the Court couldn’t bring itself to say so. Instead states have been told they must show neutrality towards religion, but have been given no guidance on how to do that in the face of religiously based desires to discriminate.” Robyn Blumner, CFI’s President & CEO concluded, “Unfortunately, the Court has provided us with no clarity. Americans need our courts to defend anti-discrimination laws. Religion must not be used as an excuse to opt out of the law.”
For More Info: centerforinquiry.net
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1 comment:
Though freedom of religion is an American value, discrimination is not. While this decision does not change existing civil rights protections, it leaves the door wide open for religious exemptions to be used against LGBTQ people. Today’s decision emboldens the anti-LGBTQ Alliance Defending Freedom and the Trump Administration in their persistent push to legalize discrimination against LGBTQ people under the misnomer of religious freedom. LGBTQ people will continuously be vulnerable until the liberty and justice for all tenants of the Constitution apply to all Americans, including LGBTQ people.
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